


Birth Rite

by tsutsuji



Series: Poison-verse [2]
Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Action/Adventure, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2005-09-14
Updated: 2013-11-27
Packaged: 2017-10-29 11:50:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 146,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/319595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsutsuji/pseuds/tsutsuji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the sequel to Poison, Zelgadis sets off with Xelloss as his "guardian" on a new quest for ancient magic, and soon discovers something surprising about his own hidden powers. As their journey continues, Zel's quest for the Lost City of Skye uncovers ancient secrets and a conspiracy that could threaten the world - or at least, really mess up his relationship with Xelloss. Chapter 23 has been revised with a small missing scene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue & Chapter 1: Mystport

**Author's Note:**

> Contains: m/m sexual situations, original characters, angst, violence. **Although this is posted here as "no archive warnings apply" please note that there will be some action-adventure type violence and some scenes of consensual rough sex.**  
>  Status: in progress.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own the copyright to these characters and I’m making no profit from this fic and intend no copyright infringement.  
> \--This story is dedicated to everyone who enjoyed Poison. I am so glad I made so many Slayers and Xel/Zel fans happy with that story! I'll try not to let you down with this one.--  
> 

 

\---

 _  
**Birth Rite - Prologue**   
_

\---

 

 

 _Xelloss!_

 

I hear her voice and feel her thought touch my spirit, which is a great relief. However, this also means that I still exist, which is even more of a surprise and less of a relief, all things considered.

 

Ah, Xelloss. I felt you respond that time. Much better.

 

Is it? And is that relief I sense in her thought, or something else? I'm not certain. To tell the truth, I'm a little baffled. Apparently, the one who created me has once again bestowed some of her power on me so that I can exist. Not to question Zelas-sama's judgment, of course, but really, this wouldn't have been necessary if I wasn't such a fool.

 

You'll be able to take form again soon. When you can, come to me at once. I'm anxious to hear your report.

 

Oh yes, of course. My report. That will be entertaining. I've been given life again just so that I can explain in detail how great a fool I am, and so that I can face her anger - and far worse than that, her disappointment.

 

How could she still wish me to exist after what I've done?

 

 _I will certainly do so as soon as I'm able_ , I reply. I send the thought to her with all the humility and gratitude I can force through my raw spirit. I'm quite sincere, but perhaps it's a little too much to be believable. She pauses, as if to sense me more carefully.

 

Xelloss-san, you haven't wondered about your chimera yet. I thought you would be anxious to know if Zelgadis is safe.

 

I think I manage not to wince.

 

 _Hmm. Is there any reason I should be so concerned with the well being of a human?_

 

I project the utmost disinterest through my thought. After all, this human we're discussing is only another meaningless speck of mortal dust floating through the physical world.

 

Unfortunately but predictably, I don't really convince myself of this. I'm not sure I convince her, either. When her thought reaches me again, it's touched with amusement.

 

I see. Well, the answer to that question will be part of your report, I expect. I'll leave you to gather your strength, and your thoughts.

 

 _Thank you_ , I reply with the mental equivalent of a ceremonial bow, as is appropriate for the Priest of the great Mazoku Lord, the Greater Beast: Zelas Metalium.

 

She acknowledges my obeisance and then her thought withdraws, leaving me alone in silence.

 

Gather my thoughts.... Well, really, I'd prefer to let them drift away and dissipate throughout the astral realm. Then again, it might be better to drive myself back into human form as quickly as I can. On the physical plane, I won't be quite as aware of this aching pain in my astral body, in all the ragged edges left where Zelgadis touched me.

 

What did she see in my thoughts just now, I have to wonder? Did she glimpse the desires and memories that I'm trying to bury out of sight of my own mind? I also wonder: if I cast off part of my own spirit, could I send those memories away as well? What kind of creature would I create if I did that? A thing with the spirit of a Mazoku and the appearance of a chimera-sorcerer, perhaps. Or maybe it would only look like me, but have the heart and soul of a human.

 

Well, I'm not here to speculate on such monstrous possibilities. Instead of ridding myself of memories and thoughts I should never have had, I must sift through them to make my report. I suppose I should begin with the day I left Seyruun to follow Zelgadis on his new quest for the Lost City of Skye. It certainly seems that my final downfall began on the first night of that journey, although I was already slipping into this insanity even before I left the ruined Valley of Shimeria.

 

I've thought I might blame Shimer for turning me into the blind fool that I've become, as if I was never really cured of the Curse that nearly killed me. Only when I was sure I was dying was I careless enough to admit that I had developed some kind of feelings toward a mortal. However, if I'm honest about it, I have to admit that my real affliction began long ago, on the very first day I crossed paths with a certain stone-skinned chimera.

 

And I really have no choice but to be honest about it to Zelas-sama, do I? I am a Mazoku, after all.

 

 

 _  
**Birth Rite, chapter 1**   
_

 

 

Over two weeks after leaving Seyruun, Zelgadis caught the first scent of the sea. The salty air blowing into his face drew him out of his thoughts for the first time in hours.

 

For the past two weeks, Xelloss had followed him along a wandering road from Seyruun Kingdom, and down from the mountains into the lowlands of the Coastal States along side the Eyrie River. For days they'd seen nothing but the river gorge and the deep, evergreen forest. While he'd been trudging along lost in his own thoughts, the gorge had opened out into a narrow valley. Their road continued down a gentler slope through this valley, and at the far end of it, sun glinted on water where the Eyrie emptied into a bay between two rocky points. It was mid-afternoon of a fine autumn day, and out beyond the bay he could see the ocean gleaming like silver in the sunlight. Nearer at hand, at the end of their road, a misty veil was draped over the edge of the land.

 

Zelgadis had come to the coast to seek evidence of the Lost City of Skye and its legendary magical knowledge, all of which was said to have sunk beneath the waves thousands of years ago. At least, that was the reason he'd given for coming all this way. Getting away from inquisitive friends back in Seyruun and getting as far away from the Valley of Shimeria as possible where the more practical inspirations for this quest.

 

Now that the coast was finally in sight, he remembered why the stories of the Lost City had intrigued him in the first place. If those old tales were true, the lost magical knowledge would be worth more than everything in the Sorcerers' Guild's vast libraries. However, since leaving Seyruun, he'd been engaged in some private research of his own that had nearly driven Skye from his mind entirely. Now he remembered the hints he'd read and heard of the great magical knowledge that had been lost with Skye. He stared ahead to the harbor town that was nearly hidden within the mist at the near end of the bay. An old, familiar excitement stirred in his heart.

 

"That must be Mystport," Xelloss observed casually as they walked along beside the river. "It appears to live up to its name! We'll be there before nightfall. I've been wondering if there's some particular reason you chose to come to Mystport, of all places. This wasn't the most direct road to the coast from Seyruun, you know, nor the easiest. If we'd gone west from Seyruun City through the kingdom of Ralteague, we would have reached the seaports there a week ago."

 

"Why, have you grown tired of my company already?" Zelgadis said with a sly grin.

 

Xelloss grinned back. "Not in the least! We could spend another month in the wilderness together, as far as I'm concerned!"

 

"Well, as a matter of fact, I do have reasons for coming to Mystport," Zelgadis said. "According to the information I could find in Seyruun's libraries, many of the expeditions that went out to search for the Lost City set sail from here. It is also said that several ancient, well-known families of sorcerers and clerics came from this area as well."

 

"You actually did your homework this time, Zelgadis-san! I'm impressed!" Xelloss said.

 

"I had to keep busy somehow while I was stuck there in Seyruun, wondering what had happened to you after you dragged me out of Shimeria and then disappeared. Trying to verify those old stories you told me helped pass the time."

 

He spoke lightly, but from the glance Xelloss gave him, he must have caught some of the emotion under the words.

 

"How sweet of you to worry about me, Zel-san!" Xelloss said in the same light tone. "While in fact I was having a wonderful time destroying things back in the Valley of Shimeria all the while!"

 

Zelgadis snorted. He could well imagine the fun Xelloss must have had while he'd been worried that the Mazoku might have suffered fatal harm from the Curse of Shimer, but he guessed that Xelloss had spent half of that time healing on the astral plane as well. Aside from worrying unnecessarily about Xelloss' health, though, he'd also had time to wonder whether the intimacy that had developed between them in Shimeria was real. He knew by then that his own attraction to Xelloss was undeniable, but he had begun to doubt whether Xelloss' professed desire for him was any more than a convenient deception. He knew better now. This entire journey so far had been proof of that.

 

He wasn't sure how much of all this Xelloss heard in his words.

 

"Obviously, my worries were unnecessary," he said with a wry grin. "But Prince Phil's own libraries are almost as extensive as those of the Sorcerers' Guild, you know. And I'm sure you knew I'd be intrigued by those stories you told, enough to follow them up with a little research."

 

"But at the time I told them, I was only interested in keeping you in one place for a few hours. Unfortunately, I didn't realize then that there were better ways to distract you and wear you out," Xelloss grinned. "Anyway, I take it that the information in Prince Phil's libraries led you to believe that those old families might have descended from sorcerers who escaped the destruction of Skye."

 

"It seems possible, and some have claimed that it's true, but others have disputed those claims. The concentration of skilled sorcerers in the area could be the only reason so many expeditions started from here. Then again, it could all be nothing more than coincidence."

 

"My, my; You're not getting your hopes up very high, are you?"

 

"Not this time," Zelgadis answered. He frowned. As intriguing as the stories of Skye could be, there were plenty of reasons to be skeptical. One of them was walking next to him, but he didn't bother to say this. "After all, even if there ever was such a city, there's probably a good reason it no longer exists."

 

"Surely we Mazoku are blamed for destroying Skye," Xelloss said, looking sidelong at him. "Isn't that the most likely explanation?"

 

Zelgadis gave him back his crafty expression. "Do you mean you want to take credit for it? As a matter of fact, speculation is about equal on whether it was the Mazoku, the Dragon Lords, or the humans themselves that destroyed Skye."

 

"The servants of the gods destroy a city? Who would ever think such a thing?" Xelloss asked sarcastically.

 

"Yes, we know how peaceful the followers of the Gods really are, don't we?" Zelgadis said bitterly. "If the Golden Dragons could wipe out a whole tribe of their own kind to preserve the balance of power, surely they wouldn't think twice about destroying a city of human sorcerers, especially if they thought those sorcerers' power threatened the peace of the world. At any rate, that's one of the theories, even though the Sorcerer's Guild doesn't seem to know about the fate of the Ancient Dragons."

 

"But they actually think the dragon race attacked the City of Skye? I never knew that."

 

"Didn't you?" Zelgadis peered at him suspiciously, but Xelloss shook his head.

 

"Honestly! I've only ever heard that either Mazoku destroyed the city, or some magic the sorcerers discovered got out of hand and they destroyed themselves -- accidentally, or perhaps on purpose."

 

"Well, those are the three theories. All the same theory, in a way. In the City of Skye, so the story goes, the true study of magic began over five thousand years ago. But the power of the sorcerers grew too quickly, until it was beyond their skill to control it or use it wisely. Either the Mazoku got nervous about the amount of power the humans had acquired, or the gods got nervous and destroyed the humans before they could become like gods themselves. Or, as you said, the sorcerers developed some magic that went out of control. Since there's no evidence of the city's existence, no one can tell for sure what happened."

 

Zelgadis turned to his trickster companion and asked directly, hoping for the honest answer he knew he wasn't likely to get. "What do you think happened to Skye, Xelloss?"

 

"To tell the truth, I don't think anything of the kind ever happened at all!"

 

Zelgadis scowled at him. That sounded suspiciously like an honest answer.

 

"Do you mean to say you don't think Skye ever existed?"

 

"Exactly! It was long before my time, of course, but from what I've heard, your fabled city is a fairy tale. I'm afraid that Skye is merely the nostalgic dream of a Golden Age of Magic that never was. On the contrary, Mazoku remember that time as our own Golden Age, when humans lived in superstitious fear of everything around them. Dragons, gods, monsters, and the forces of nature alike, all terrified the poor, defenseless humans. It may be true that the study of magic began then, but if so, it began with the primitive rituals they invented to try to appease these evil forces - including the dragons! Ah, but it's said they gave us bounteous feasts of pain and terror to feed upon in those days! I wish I'd been there," he added wistfully.

 

He didn't even look aside at Zelgadis as he said this, he only grinned as if lost in happy memories. Zelgadis could guess that what he really enjoyed was the mingled disgust and irritation this story inspired in him.

 

"Of course, you didn't bother to say any of this earlier," he muttered.

 

Xelloss said nothing else, and they walked along in silence for a while. Zelgadis stared ahead, but he hardly noticed the grey buildings of the seaport town that now appeared to huddle under the bank of coastal mist. He was too busy trying to second- and third-guess Mazoku logic.

 

"I suppose, if Mazoku did destroy this place because they were nervous about the power humans had developed, they wouldn't brag about it, would they?" Zelgadis mused. "They would say such power never existed at all! In fact, they wouldn't even admit to themselves that they had anything to fear from mere humans, would they?"

 

"Oh dear, Zel-san, do you really think we're so devious that we can even deceive ourselves?"

 

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow at his innocent expression. "That's an interesting question," he said. "Just tell me, if I do find evidence that Skye really existed, are you going to destroy it in front of my eyes?"

 

"You really do hold on to your grudges, don't you?" Xelloss said admiringly. "If you find any evidence or lore from the Lost City, I'll be looking over your shoulder at it with just as much curiosity as you! If it turns out to hold some threat to my kind, well, then, we'll have to talk."

 

Zelgadis shook his head and gave him a dry laugh. "I suppose that's the best that I can hope for!"

 

He turned his attention to the town, wondering how unfriendly it would be to a rock-golem/brow demon chimera. He'd passed through the port town once or twice in the past, long before he'd become interested in the Skye legends. He remembered it as a bustling harbor town at the head of a natural bay, circled by the high, crumbling cliffs that continued far to the north and south. Ships carried goods and passengers up and down the coast through Mystport, an easier journey to the northern and southern lands than the rugged overland roads. In addition to being a convenient stop on the trade routes, it was something of a tourist destination. Many people came all this way just to admire the view.

 

Even a town that welcomed travelers could be wary of strangers, though. Xelloss watched with a frown as Zelgadis pulled his hood down over his silver hair and tucked a scarf around the lower half of his face. A cloaked and hooded stranger inspired curiosity and a little fear, but a man with skin of bluish stone and hair like wire made people nervous to the point of hostility.

 

"Do you know, I'm beginning to dislike cities just as much as you do," Xelloss said. "I prefer it out here in the wilderness, where you never feel the need to hide yourself from view. And where you don't try so hard to stifle those lovely sounds you make in the night..."

 

Zelgadis' face flushed with deep warmth. "You're not exactly the silent type yourself, you know," he muttered in a feeble attempt at retaliation.

 

"With good reason, given your quickly developing talents! Which reminds me: do you plan to set aside your own personal magical research while you look for the Lost City?" Xelloss asked.

 

Zelgadis' gaze went unfocused for a moment at the reminder of their "research," until he forced himself to remember again why they were here at the coast. The fabled magical lore of Skye was a worthwhile quest for a number of reasons. Even so....

 

He glanced aside at Xelloss, knowing the Mazoku could sense the smile on his veiled face.

 

"No," he said decisively. "I do not."

 

Xelloss smiled back broadly. "I'm very glad to hear it," he said.

 

 

\---

 

Mystport was indeed living up to its name, Zelgadis observed an hour later as they walked down its narrow, cobblestone streets between weathered buildings. Within its ring of rocky cliffs, the bay was filling with fog like a bowl of thin, grey soup. Under the clanging of buoy bells and the creak of ships' rigging near the docks, he could hear a muffled roar from the waves crashing against the cliffs that circled the bay. The damp air was sharp with the tang of saltwater, fish, and old, wet wood.

 

Even so, the whole scene looked like a picture on a travel brochure. Colorful fishing boats rested at anchor as if they were posing for the artists who had planted themselves and their easels along the wooden quay. A few late-season tourists strolled along as well, peering over the artists' shoulders at the view. Out on the open ocean, the sun touched the waves with silver light, and even the shrouds of harbor mist seemed to be artfully arranged.

 

Zelgadis wasn't much interested in the artistic composition of the scene. In his grey hooded cloak and scarf he blended in well with the misty scenery, but he still drew enough curious glances to feel uncomfortable as they climbed through the side streets above the harbor. Xelloss followed at his side, gazing around curiously with his usual disarming smile. He seemed content to follow Zelgadis around for the moment. Zelgadis grinned to himself. As his self-appointed guardian, Xelloss supposedly didn't have much choice, but his patience wasn't likely to last forever.

 

"Are you just planning to soak up the scenery like a tourist until something catches your eye?" Xelloss asked pleasantly, "Or do you have a plan for the afternoon?"

 

Zelgadis grinned. "I do have a plan, as a matter of fact. This main street that winds up from the harbor is Merchant's Row, as you may have noticed. I'm looking for a particular shop and a particular couple of people to interview. After I find them, I plan to find a meal, a bath, and then, a very private room."

 

Xelloss sighed and pouted. "Well, if you insist on putting the shopping expedition first, at least tell me what you're looking for."

 

Zelgadis stopped in the middle of the cobbled street. Xelloss' gaze followed his to the sign over the door of a narrow shop a little further along the way. Above an antique globe of the world, the lettering on the sign read: "Angus Osprey, Cartographer."

 

"Good," Zelgadis said, nodding. "He's still in business."

 

"I take it Mr. Osprey has maps leading to the Lost City?" Xelloss inquired as they started across the street.

 

"If he did, it wouldn't be a lost city anymore, would it?" Zelgadis muttered, rolling his eyes while Xelloss played dumb. "Osprey contributed to _The Compleat History of the Skye Expeditions_ and several other books on Skye. He claimed to have access to secret maps and sea charts that no one else has ever seen."

 

"Ahh," Xelloss said, nodding. He sounded like he was genuinely interested, which Zelgadis doubted was true, but he followed along with a smile, anyway.

 

They found the way to Osprey's shop blocked by a crowd of people gathered in front of the shop next door. "Emily Gosling, Books and Bindings," read the sign over the door. Zelgadis looked at the crowd in wonder. There were some fifty people, more than half of them younger than Lina, all standing more or less in a line that snaked back and forth across the narrow street.

 

"I didn't even know this many people could read," Xelloss murmured. Zelgadis shot him a look, but then he had to wonder as well.

 

"Are they really all here to buy books?" he asked of no one in particular.

 

They pushed their way into the crowd. It parted reluctantly for them, but the people weren't stubborn or surly, they were just too distracted to bother with two strangers who weren't interested in the same thing they were. Most of them didn't even look up when he and Xelloss bumped into them, and the few who did looked more startled than annoyed.

 

Zelgadis stopped short, blocked by an unyielding group of schoolgirls huddled together. From the babble of their voices, one girl's rose above the others.

 

"I heard that what the evil sorcerer does at the end is..."

 

"Hush!! Stop!"

 

A boy standing nearby had turned suddenly and screeched at the girls, startling them into silence.

 

"Don't say it!" he pleaded. "You'll ruin the ending!"

 

The one who had been speaking loudest clapped her hands over her mouth and cringed.

 

"Sorry!" she said through her fingers.

 

Zelgadis edged around them, followed by Xelloss. He nearly tripped over another young boy who was less than half his height. The boy didn't notice; he stared ahead distractedly and twisted the end of his mother's shawl between his hands.

 

"Do you think the sorcerer really killed the dragon? What if it comes back to life?" the boy asked his mother anxiously.  


"I don't know dear, we'll have to wait and see," she said. If she was trying to reassure him, it wasn't a very convincing effort, as she was too busy straining to look over the heads of the crowd toward the door of the shop.

 

Zelgadis shook his head in wonder and pushed on through between them. Xelloss tucked his way through the crowd with his head down, hiding all but his smile under his dark hair.

 

"Are you enjoying this?" Zelgadis said aside to him. "They don't look all that unhappy."

 

"They're all tense and anxious, though," Xelloss said cheerfully. "Can't you tell? I believe they're all waiting for the latest chapter in a serialized story, and apparently the previous installment left them with a terrible cliffhanger! Some of them are quite worried about what's going to happen next, and others are as excited as if they were about to go into battle for their lives! It's quite amusing."

 

"It's a story!" Zelgadis exclaimed softly. "The way they're talking, you'd think it was their real lives!"

 

"Well, now, remember Zelgadis-san, most people don't lead such interesting lives as you and I do! They have to take their excitement where they can find it. And they'd much rather find it in books and stories, of course. Most of them have never seen a real dragon or a monster - as far as they know! - and never hope to. To these people, your whole life would be a marvelous tale which they would hardly believe if they heard it."

 

"Maybe I should write my memoirs," Zelgadis muttered over his shoulder.

 

They were nearly through the crowd. Standing at the far edge a little apart from the anxious children, teenagers, and parents, Zelgadis passed two middle-aged men and a woman who were dressed in the robes of guild scholars.

 

"Well, it's obviously culled from a number of sources, of course," the eldest man said, nodding sagely. "There are elements borrowed from literary sources, from old myths and tales to the latest ballads. She's done some solid research, I'll admit, but the magic in this story could never happen in the real world!"

 

"Of course not!" the woman agreed. "It's completely over-the-top, but she's woven it into a inspiring tale, a true modern legend."

 

The other man chuckled, stroking his grey-streaked beard. "Well, of course it's over the top! An evil, dead sorcerer comes back to life, and only one reluctant hero can save the world from catastrophe! Ridiculously simplistic and utterly predictable! Still, for a children's story, it has some very deep themes..."

 

They all nodded wisely and fell into an even more serious discussion of these deeper themes. Zelgadis noticed, though, that they all kept their eyes on the door to the bookshop the entire time.

 

When he and Xelloss finally made it through to the other side of the crowd, they found a clerk at the cartographer's shop standing in his own doorway, watching the scene with a great deal of interest.

 

"Hello," Zelgadis began, "Is Mr. Angus Osprey available? I'd like to..."  


"What? Mr. Osprey?" the clerk said absently. "Oh, yes, of course. No, he's away at the moment on holiday..." He tried to peer between their shoulders at the crowd in front of the bookstore, blinking past them through large, thick glasses. "I'm the only one here," he added in a tense grumble.

 

Zelgadis turned to look back at the crowd. "What is so fascinating about a story book?" he muttered, apparently to himself because the clerk wasn't paying him the slightest attention.

 

Zelgadis felt ruffled. He was used to being either stared at or pointedly ignored, but never simply.... ignored. He stepped in front of the boy again and tried to catch his eye. "I'm sorry to trouble you," he said without bothering to sound sorry, "but I'd like to ask Mr. Osprey..."

 

Suddenly the clerk drew back and blinked like a demented owl. "A story book? You mean, you don't know? You haven't read it? _Hello_? What pocket universe have you been stuck in?"

 

The clerk gave him a quick, disdainful look up and down with his glass-blurred eyes. Zelgadis had finally gotten the boy's attention, it seemed. Xelloss chuckled.

 

"You haven't been reading _The Princess of Fat_ e? I've read the whole series seven times already!" The clerk gestured impatiently, looking past Zelgadis again toward the bookshop crowd as if beseeching them for help. "Can you believe anybody hasn't read _The Princess of Fate_?" he cried in their general direction.

 

Zelgadis' mouth fell open but nothing came out.

  
"What a charming title!" Xelloss chimed in helpfully.

 

"I'm not interested in reading fairy tales," Zelgadis growled at last. "Especially since I apparently live in one," he added with an extra glare at Xelloss. "I wanted to speak with Mr. Osprey. Can you at least tell me where I can find him?"

 

The clerk was too busy shaking his head in disbelief to hear the question. "You have no idea! It's not just a fairy tale! And whatever those stuffy old critics say, it's not a children's story, either! It's just the most amazing thing anyone has ever written! People are learning to read just so they can read this book! And the last book of the series is finally coming out this week!" His voice rose to a frantic squeak on the last two words. " _The Princess of Fate and the Sorcerer's Secret!_ I can't wait!" He shivered in an ecstasy of anticipation, then drew himself together and nodded smugly toward the crowd. "I already reserved my copy. I'm camping out here at the shop so I'll be first in line when it comes in!"

 

"All those people are lined up just to reserve a book about make-believe magic? I can't believe it." Zelgadis looked back at the crowd. Some of them were now leaving the shop with slips of paper clutched in their hands, looking even more excited than they had been before. Still more were arriving to block the street.

 

"They're still taking orders," the clerk offered helpfully. "Gosling's might even have copies of the first five books. Trust me, you have to read this book!"

 

Zelgadis stared at him a moment longer, but the boy seemed to have lost whatever wits he might once have possessed before The Princess of Fate took over his mind. He had hardly looked at them at all except for that one, quick glance. Zel sighed and pressed his hand to his forehead.

 

"Is Mr. Osprey expected back any time soon?" he tried, hopelessly.

 

"Oh, Mr. Osprey? He should be back tomorrow. Or the day after," the boy shrugged. He was chewing the side of his thumb, still watching the crowd, but it seemed that his mind was starting to wander even further from the cartographer's shop.

 

"I wonder if the dragon is really dead..." he muttered. "I bet it's going to come back...."

 

Zelgadis turned and walked away up the street, away from the boy and the book-crazy crowd. He felt his teeth grinding and shook his head. He'd barely arrived in town and he was already fuming with frustration. He should have expected it.

 

Of course, Xelloss took the opposite view. He chuckled and hummed to himself until they were several blocks away. Zelgadis finally turned and glared at him, and Xelloss managed to stifle his laughter behind his hand.

 

"Well, Zel-san, at least the people here aren't hostile," he said, "but still, your search hasn't started very well, has it?"

 

"No," Zelgadis said shortly. He knew just how much Xelloss was enjoying his frustration. To counteract that, he took a deep breath and reminded himself of the other local people he was hoping to question.

 

He glanced back; the street had climbed high enough so they could look out over the dockside roofs to the open ocean beyond the bay. The sun was low over the sea, giving the mist a golden glow. There was still time in the day to make another start, provided the whole town hadn't gone mad for a fairy tale.

 

He was about to turn back to tell Xelloss where he was going next when he heard a sound that froze him to the spot. A chill shot through his veins, as if they were suddenly filled with water from an icy underground spring.

 

Beyond the clatter of footsteps on the cobbled streets and the murmuring voices of people walking by, Zelgadis' sharp ears caught the jingling music of glass beads rattling together. It was the very same sound once said to strike fear into the hearts of even the most powerful Mazoku, the sound made by the enchanted jewelry worn by Followers of Shimer.

 

He knew Xelloss heard it too, from the way his eyes went wide and then quickly narrowed to slits.

 

They were hundreds of miles away from the Valley of Shimeria. He knew it was the nature of the fanatical Followers to carry Shimer's Relics far and wide, but he'd hoped they had not yet spread so far south and west, all the way to the Coastal States.

 

"Damn," Zelgadis hissed. "I never wanted to hear that sound again."

 

"Well, well," Xelloss said softly. "It seems I'm finally going to get to fulfill my duty as your guardian, Zelgadis-san."

 

Zelgadis grew even more alarmed. He hadn't been sure that Xelloss was serious about protecting him from the fanatics who wanted to kill them both for destroying the Shrine of Shimer. Xelloss turned to seek the source of the sound among the people on the street. Zelgadis sensed a shift in the aura of power hidden within the Mazoku's human form. He realized that Xelloss was very serious indeed.

 

The jingling sound was coming nearer. Xelloss started toward it and Zelgadis followed, filled with mingled dread and old rage. He watched for the familiar mindless smile among the faces of travelers and merchants in the street, while his magical senses listened for the seductive spell the Relics used to lure more followers to Shimer's cause.

 

Xelloss stopped suddenly. Zelgadis stepped up beside him but Xelloss flung out his arm to hold him back.

 

"I don't need your protection," he growled, gripping his sword hilt.

 

"I should hope not," Xelloss said in an odd, strained voice. "Certainly not from them!"

 

"What?"

 

Zelgadis followed Xelloss' gaze to the wearers of the Relics that had come into view. Expecting to see grey-robed Shrine Keepers dripping with beaded jewelry, he had to blink to be sure of what he was looking at: a pair of teenaged schoolgirls wearing every kind of ring, bracelet and bauble imaginable over scandalously skimpy tops, short skirts, and high-heeled boots. They hardly looked old enough to be out on their own, to say nothing of trying to attract the attention of teenaged boys as they obviously were. They were talking together a mile a minute, oblivious to everything else around them, and giggling at every other word.

 

He let out the breath he'd been holding and drooped with relief. His head nearly fell against Xelloss' arm, which he realized was shaking with suppressed laughter.

 

"You're right, Xelloss," he said, catching the Mazoku's eye. "You have much more to fear from them than I do! They might well giggle you to death!"

 

"Oh, that's nothing more than an irritating itch to me now," Xelloss said with a grin. "Give them a couple of years, though, and they might actually be dangerous!"

 

The girls were walking straight toward them with their heads together and their hands clasped. They took no notice of anything around them, distracted by their own schoolgirl gossip. Zelgadis didn't need to be a Mazoku to sense their high spirits.

 

The glint of color drew his eye to the multiple strands of beads on their arms. Some of his amusement vanished. Even amid all the other jewelry they wore, he recognized the craftsmanship of Shimeria. As they came closer he sensed the magical aura from the beads.

 

"Those really are the Relics," he said softly. He felt as if some snake-like creature was crawling along his skin. "It must be the Keepers' spell. They still retain some of Shimer's power."

 

Xelloss shrugged. "Hardly enough to do any harm - or any good, should I say? Do you think these two would be any less cheerful without them?"

 

"No," Zelgadis said, seeing the twinkle of shared secrets in the girls' eyes. The aura from the beads was faint, he realized, like an old Light spell losing its power. He relaxed again. "I don't think those bracelets have any affect on them at all. It's probably just another fashion statement as far as they're concerned."

 

"Yes, and I must say, they actually make it work, too!" Xelloss said admiringly.

 

"Are you joking? If they were five or six years older, maybe..." Zelgadis said. But he could see Xelloss' point. The gaudy stuff looked far better on them than it would have on Shimer.

 

The girls must have sensed that they were being watched. Both pairs of twinkling eyes suddenly looked up and turned straight towards him, and their laughter stopped at once. They kept on walking, but they stared right back at Xelloss and him with wide eyes as they passed by, still clutching each other's hands.

 

Zelgadis felt like a deer caught in a Light spell, unable to do anything except blush with embarrassment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xelloss attempt a disarming smile, but it came out weak and crooked.

 

The second they were past, the girls gasped and fell into squeals of laughter again. They hurried away quickly, hugging each other in their excitement. Each of them tossed a blushing glance back over her shoulder before they turned a corner and disappeared.

 

Zelgadis let out a sigh of relief and exasperation. His chin dropped to his chest.

 

"How embarrassing! They thought we were _looking_ at them!"

 

"Oh, and weren't you?" Xelloss asked slyly.

 

"Of course not!" Zelgadis snapped, even though his face felt hot enough to melt into lava. "I was only interested in their bracelets!"

 

"I'm glad to hear it, Zel-san, I should hate to think you're looking at other people already! Well, I suppose I can believe you - although I'm not sure I like the way they were looking at _you_ , now that I think about it. Perhaps I should have blasted them, after all..." He frowned at the corner where they'd disappeared.

 

"Xelloss!" He wasn't sure if Xelloss was teasing him or if he was actually crazy enough to mean it. Or both.

 

"Well, it's too late now!" Xelloss sighed. "I suppose I'll just have to wait for another opportunity to be your protector." He pouted as if someone had stolen a treat right out of his hands.

 

Zelgadis gritted his teeth at the idea that he needed protecting. Only the fact that they were standing in the middle of a busy street kept him from hitting Xelloss with... something. He hadn't been this annoyed with the annoying trickster priest for days.

 

It occurred to him finally that this was the point, of course. Xelloss was already standing very close to him, and leaning closer. It was familiar enough by now.

 

"A whole town full of people to draw miasma from, and you've still got to pick on me," he muttered.

 

Xelloss darted back as if the words had given him a shock. He frowned. "But Zel-san, it's so much easier to pick on someone you know than on strangers! Besides, I was beginning to think the honeymoon was over. You've hardly noticed me at all since this morning!"

 

"Hardly noticed you?" Zelgadis echoed. He supposed it was true, he had been distracted away from Xelloss for the first time in days when Mystport came into view. It might have been a relief to think of other things for a while, but now that Xelloss had his full attention again, he didn't know how he could have been so distracted by anything else.

 

Even the weight of the stares they were starting to get from people passing by was hardly noticeable now, but when the sea breeze lifted Xelloss' cloak so that it brushed against his leg it made a shiver run up his spine. It wasn't only Xelloss' physical presence that caught his attention so strongly, though. Dark energy had been stirred within the Mazoku by the threat of the Followers. He was acutely aware of the power hidden behind the priests' robes and bland smile. A moment ago Xelloss had been ready to unleash that deadly power, and now Zelgadis could feel it waiting there, casually held in check. It was amazing that Xelloss had held back, he realized. It was even more amazing that he controlled such power so easily. Another shiver seemed to run through his spirit at the thought of it.

 

"So," Xelloss said in a casual voice that was a sharp contrast to the energy Zelgadis sensed, "Who else are we going to visit today?"

 

Zelgadis couldn't seem to remember who else he'd planned to visit, or why. Watching Xelloss' lips move had driven all other thoughts from his mind. All he could remember of his earlier plans was his other reason for choosing to come to Mystport. He decided that the search for Skye could wait another day.

 

"There's been a change of plan," he said. "I'm skipping ahead to the part about a private room, and then...." He looked up and caught Xelloss' amethyst gaze. "And then, I think, it's time for some real magic. The kind of magic the 'Princess of Fate' never dreamed of."

 

Xelloss' lips curved up into a familiar, seductive smile.

 

"I like your new plan, Zelgadis-san," he said.

 

 

 

\---

 

An hour later, Zelgadis had managed to relieve some of his earlier frustration through the rare pleasure of surprising Xelloss. He'd quickly led the way up a winding lane directly to an old, rambling Inn that perched on the cliffs to the north of the harbor. Below them, they could see lights in the streets of Mystport filtered through the mist, while a golden sunset spread across the sky over the sea.

 

The young woman behind the desk had looked up in surprise when they came in, as if a pair of travelers wanting rooms was the last thing anyone would expect or want at an inn. But a second later her face lit up; she quickly thrust the book she'd been reading under the desk and greeted them pleasantly enough. She barely even glanced at the scarf and hood muffling Zel's face.

 

"We'd like the cottage at the far end, near the baths, if it's available," Zelgadis said. "We'll be staying for a week, at least."

 

She nodded quickly and handed him the key, and named the price for a week's stay. "Including the discount for members of the Sorcerer's Guild, that is," she added.

 

Xelloss raised his eyebrows as Zel paid her the discounted price.

 

"I didn't know you were actually a member of the Guild," Xelloss murmured as they left the office.

 

Zel avoided his gaze and didn't reply.

 

He watched the smile spread slowly across Xelloss' face as he led the way to the cottage. It was screened from the Inn and the onshore wind by a row of stunted evergreen bushes, and had its own spectacular view of the harbor and the rocky coast. The sound of the waves pounding below was nearly a steady roar, carried up to them on a fresh sea wind that blew all other sounds away over the rocky dunes behind the inn.

 

"I take it you've been here before," Xelloss said appreciatively as he surveyed the cozy, private cottage.  


"It was a chance thing; on that occasion, I would have preferred a simpler place closer to the docks, but the rooms in town were full. But now you know the other reason I chose to come to Mystport," Zelgadis answered.

 

"I should learn to trust your choices," Xelloss said.

 

Zelgadis chuckled. "Yes, perhaps you should." He cocked his head at Xelloss curiously. "I thought you'd enjoy being back in a town among people just as much as I dislike it," he said. "Seriously, don't you get tired of a steady diet of my bad moods?"

 

"Not in the least! Although, now that you mention it, I suppose I should sample the local fare while I'm here at the coast. You did mention seafood when you said we were coming here."

 

Zelgadis laughed. "You're not talking about ordering a plate of shellfish, are you? You'd prefer a sailors' brawl down by the docks, I suppose."

 

"Exactly! You know my tastes so well, Zelgadis-san!"

 

"Fine," Zelgadis grumbled. "Now that you've got my attention again, you want to go back to town and hang around with the locals!"

 

"It was your idea," Xelloss said reasonably. "What about that plate of shellfish you mentioned?"

 

Now that he thought about it, he had been looking forward to some fresh seafood. Besides its scenery, Mystport was famous for its clams and Eyrie River oysters.

 

"I can see your mouth is watering," Xelloss said. "Your original plan did include supper, if I remember correctly."

 

"Well, yes, but," Zelgadis began. The desire for Xelloss that had been fired up back in town was now being edged aside by a more mundane form of hunger. He remembered something else as well. "And a bath," he added with a sigh.

 

He realized he was rubbing a knot that had formed in the back of his neck just in the last two hours. He had no desire to go back to town, but the bath sounded irresistible.

 

"I could order supper brought in while you go back to town and indulge your own peculiar appetite, I suppose," he said doubtfully.

 

Xelloss watched him patiently, waiting for him to decide. Too patiently, in fact.

 

"Are you putting me off for some reason?" he asked suspiciously. "I thought you wanted my full attention!"

 

"Of course I do," Xelloss said with one of his disarming smiles. "Which is exactly why I don't want your stomach growling and distracting you while we're in the middle of our 'magic lesson'! Besides, even I know the added benefit of delaying gratification for a little while."

 

Xelloss stepped closer and raised his hand to push Zel's hood back and draw the scarf from his face. "Now that I know where we're spending the night, I promise I won't stay long in town. Perhaps I'll join you in that bath when I return, and then you can continue with your magical research..."

 

He let his finger brush across Zel's lip before he stepped back again. Zel started to reach for him, but he took another quick step away, grinning widely.

 

"Enjoy your oysters!" he said, and disappeared.

 

Zelgadis dropped his hand to his side. His stomach growled.

 

"Damn, teasing Mazoku," he sighed.

 

He pulled his scarf back over his face and started out to order his dinner from the inn's kitchen, but underneath the scarf he had to smile. He was getting far too used to being manipulated by Xelloss, he supposed. Even so, he had no doubt that the best part of his day was still to come.

 

\---

 

to be continued

 

Next: Zelgadis reflects on the discovery that began his magical "research" project with Xelloss back at the start of their journey.

 

(Afternote: Any resemblance to any actual fans or teenage girls is coincidental, except for the clerk - he's based on an HP fanboy I know IRL.

 


	2. Astral Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Zelgadis remembers how his latest magical discovery occured in an unexpected way...

_It was the first time the Princess had ever seen one of these hideous creatures in the flesh! Well, of course, dear reader, that is only an expression. Monsters are spirits and don't have flesh like humans do. That's why it's so difficult to kill them, even for the Sorcerer; and that's also why this one looked like a thing from a very bad dream the Princess had once had after eating too much cake and ice cream. I really can't describe it to you; if you want to know what this particular Monster looked like, just remember the thing that was chasing after you the last time you had a very bad dream. That's what the Princess saw chasing after her, and of course she ran as fast as she could in the other direction. Even if it hadn't been trying to kill her, I'm certain she would have run away from it just as fast, because who would ever want to get close to such a hideous thing as a Monster!_

\- from Book Three: _The Princess of Fate and the Long Journey_

\---

The staff at the inn were even more eager to serve than Zelgadis remembered. In a short time he was dining on oysters, clams, salmon and crab while he watched the light disappear over the ocean through the cottage windows. He almost forgot to worry about what kind of trouble Xelloss could be stirring up in town. His eagerness to search for Skye had almost evaporated in the heat of immediate frustration, but his anticipation for Xelloss' return slowly grew as darkness fell.

Thoughtfully, Zelgadis ran a fingertip over the streaks of color inside an oyster shell.

"I really didn't travel all this way for a honeymoon trip," he reminded himself. But part of his mind wondered if that was such a bad reason. This relationship he had with Xelloss was like nothing he could have imagined, but it was bound to change eventually. Perhaps it was foolish to search so hard for something that would probably change it even sooner.

After all, since the start of his journey with Xelloss he'd learned magic that even the sorcerers of Skye might not have known. The search for information that would lead to a cure had become a habit, but it was also a fact that he would not have have the skill or knowledge he had now if he wasn't a chimera.

Zelgadis stared at dark patches of stone on the back of his hand. There had also been times during this journey that he'd wished he hadn't learned quite so much. At those times, he wanted more than ever to be nothing other than human again.

It was only because of the campfire stories Xelloss had told that he'd become interested in Skye. Zelgadis had wondered at the time if the story that hinted at a possible cure in the knowledge from the Lost City had been meant to lure him on this quest, even though Xelloss had made it very clear since then that he preferred Zelgadis as he was. In a way, Zelgadis had hoped Xelloss had dropped that hint on purpose. That would make it more likely that there was some truth to the stories after all. But Xelloss didn't seem to realize what an intriguing hint he'd dropped in that story.

Zelgadis pushed his plate of empty shells away and stood. He stretched; joints popped and stone skin crackled. He glanced out the window to see that the ocean was becoming a vast shadow as the sky grew dark.

Xelloss hadn't returned from town yet, though, so Zelgadis found his way to the baths alone. It wasn't a natural hot spring up here on the seaside cliff, but it was as close as possible to a natural setting amid the rocks and stunted juniper trees. Tendrils of steam rose from the surface of the water toward the open sky. A few lamps were lit, but he didn't expect any other guests to be out here in the dark. He was glad of that, not only for the sake of privacy. The water was never hot enough for him; he casually set off a small Fireball to heat it to a temperature his stone skin could actually feel.

Zelgadis sank into the steaming water with a sigh. He closed his eyes and let his awareness of his tense, tired body drift away with his thoughts. He resisted the urge to try to sense Xelloss somewhere nearby. Instead, he tried to think of other things, wondering where his friends were now, and recalling his past journeys along the coast.

In spite of his efforts, his thoughts fell back to the last time he'd had the pleasure of a hot bath. It must have been a week ago, when he and Xelloss had happened upon a hot spring high up in the mountains. Few travelers crossed to the coast by the mountain roads, and the bathhouse had been abandoned and crumbling. They spent most of a long night basking in the hot water, looking up at the stars through tall pines while frost formed on the ground.

The memory of that night sent a flood of warmth through his body that had nothing to do with the heat of the water. He'd done things with Xelloss on that occasion that he'd never done before.

But ever since this journey began, he'd found himself doing things he'd never done with anyone before and never dreamed he would do, especially not with a Mazoku. There were things he'd thought he'd never be able to do with another person while he was stuck in this monstrous body, and other things he'd never imagined were possible.

Zelgadis sank up to his chin in the steaming hot water of the bath. It couldn't soften his stone skin, but with the added warmth of his Fireball it was enough to relax tense muscles. As the last of his earlier frustration melted away, another kind of tension grew in his body in anticipation of Xelloss' return from town.

All the time they'd spent together only seemed to increase his desire for Xelloss. This was the first time in days that they'd spent so much time so far apart. Xelloss was right: delaying gratification only made the anticipation stronger. His desire to feel Xelloss' presence was a finer warmth than the bath. It was just as sharp now as it had been on the first night after they left Seyruun, when it inspired the discovery of magical knowledge Zelgadis had never imagined he could learn.

 _(The Kingdom of Seyruun, two weeks earlier...)_

Zelgadis knew something was different between them as soon as they left Seyruun City, but it took him some time to figure out just what had changed.

Their first day traveling alone together seemed a lot like their earlier journey, walking through quiet countryside with Xelloss being annoying one moment and charming the next, except that the erotic tension between them was no longer hidden. They both knew how the day would end. Thinking ahead to that, Zelgadis found he was reluctant to stay at the typical village inn where they stopped for a meal just as it grew dark. Xelloss laughed when he muttered that the atmosphere of the place didn't suite him.

"If you mean there's not much privacy, I have to agree," he said. "The walls are so thin here, I'm sure we'll have the whole village as an audience, not just the innkeepers!"

Zelgadis hid his blushing face deeper inside his hood and stalked away from the inn, with Xelloss chuckling softly as he followed.

He would have settled for a sheltered place in a forest, but they were in open farm country. The only trees were in orchards and well-tended woodlots. Finally, a few miles from the village, they came to a farm that had finished its harvest early. A sign advertised "Beds for Travelers," which turned out to be in the bunkhouse where roving farmhands stayed before moving on to the next harvest site. The bunkhouse was out beyond the hay barn, out of sight of the main house. In Zel's experience, farmers were early risers but heavy sleepers, as long as no one roused the dogs or frightened the horses. It was as good a place as they were likely to find, and as far as he wanted to walk that night.

Xelloss made the arrangements, disarming the farmwife with his mild manner and his moneybag, while Zel hid his face out of the light from the farmhouse windows. He heard her laugh when the wandering priest explained that his companion was a nervous, young sorcerer.

"Well, just so he don't go setting off any Fireballs near the hay barn!" she chided.

"I won't give him the opportunity to do any such thing!" Xelloss assured her. "Not literally, anyway," he added, but she was counting her money and didn't catch that part.

A few minutes later they opened the door to a long, bare room. Wooden plank walls and floors, bare wooden bunks and a plain table were all covered with dust from haying. Besides the bunks, there were a couple of straw-stuffed sleeping pads on the floor near a fireplace with an empty grate. Zelgadis cast a Lighting spell and let the glowing ball drift up to hover near the ceiling, but it only seemed to darken the shadows in the corners of the room.

He stood facing Xelloss in the dusty light, waiting for something to fall into place. When he'd imagined this moment, he thought they would tumble through the door already tangled together, so eager for each other that nothing else mattered. Instead, they both stood there, not speaking, as still as shadows.

Zelgadis realized with a shiver that there was something far more real about it, this time. There were with none of the things that had sidestepped thought before, no frantic desperation for the last chance they'd ever have, no tricks or manipulation, no excuses to disguise the fact that they were drawn to each other. And there was no doubt about what they were here to do.

It would never be just like _this_ again, either, Zelgadis thought. In spite of all they'd already done, in a way, this would be the first time they were really together.

He mentally shook himself. That sounded like they really were some kind of newlyweds, and whatever he'd fallen into with Xelloss, it was nothing so romantic as that. But there was definitely something different here, as if they'd crossed some threshold neither of them had noticed.

He didn't know what he was waiting for, unless it was only to savor this moment of anticipation and certainty. He didn't know what Xelloss was waiting for, either, or why he didn't make a move. His eyes were hidden by the shadow his hair cast under the Lighting spell, and the rest of his face was an expressionless mask. If it was some teasing game, Zelgadis didn't feel like playing along. Not knowing how else to begin, so deliberately and consciously, he simply shrugged off his cloak, and then stepped forward to reach for the clasp at Xelloss' throat.

At his first touch, Xelloss jumped, almost as if he wasn't expecting to feel Zelgadis' touch. Zel frowned, but he was encouraged by the ordinary, solid feel of the clasp, the cloak, and the body underneath. Xelloss wasn't going to fade away from sight and sensation. Now that he was closer, he realized Xelloss was staring at his mouth. He let his lips curve up into a suggestive smile.

The heavy cloak fell to the floor with a soft rustle of fabric. Zelgadis reached under the shirt and let his palm rest against Xelloss' chest. Anyone else might think that he felt a heartbeat or the quick rise and fall of breath, but Zelgadis now recognized it as the pulse of Xelloss' spirit throbbing just below the surface of his human form.

Still staring at the lower part of Zel's face, Xelloss slowly pulled off his gloves and placed his palm against Zel's cheek. He let his fingers brush against Zel's ear and through the strands of wire hair.

Zelgadis leaned into the touch and turned his head a little, so that his lips barely touched Xelloss' hand near his wrist. Xelloss lifted his eyes to meet Zel's and he smiled, but to Zelgadis, his touch still felt hesitant.

"My, my," Xelloss said softly. "You still allow me to touch you."

"Allow you?" Zelgadis exclaimed disbelievingly. "It's all I've thought about all day. Don't try to tell me you didn't know that."

He held Xelloss' hand in place so he could turn and kiss the surprisingly delicate fingertips. He moved closer, until lips and fingers touched and teased each other. Even then, it almost seemed as if Xelloss was holding his breath, still waiting for something.

The held breath came out in a whisper that made Zel's spine shiver.

"But, you see, it's very strange to be still able to touch you like this. It's never been this way before."

"What are you talking about?" Zel said. The strange tone of Xelloss' voice made him nervous, so he spoke lightly. "You sound like some kind of blushing virgin! I'm not so naive as to think I was your first."

"In a way, you are," Xelloss said, matching his casual tone. His voice grew more distracted as Zelgadis continued to nibble on his fingertips. "I've been physically intimate with humans in the past, but no one has ever chosen to be with me after knowing that I'm not human. To put it as delicately as possible for you, Zelgadis-san -- being accepted by the other person was not my goal on those occasions. It's... confusing... this way...." His eyes fell closed and he pressed his own lips to Zel's knuckle.

At the same time that the touch of his lips sent a warm tingle from Zel's fingers to his groin, the meaning of his words sank in. He was not as disturbed by them as Xelloss seemed to think he would be. He wasn't surprised that Xelloss had shared some kind of physical intimacy with humans before, especially since he obviously knew what he was doing. If he'd thought about it, he would have guessed that the circumstances would have been very different from this. It made perfect sense that the Mazoku's pleasure would have only come from inspiring fear and pain in his partner. It was what he'd expected from the first time Xelloss had kissed him, anyway.

But this was different. Zelgadis was only a little nervous, but not terrified; he felt pleasure and excitement, but none of the dark emotions he had always offered to Xelloss on previous occasions. Even so, he could both sense and see that Xelloss desired him.

He remembered the strange look he'd seen on Xelloss' face on another occasion, as if Zelgadis was a temptation he was trying to deny. He realized what had changed, then. He was still amazed that Xelloss wanted to be with him like this, but no longer doubted it and no longer resisted his own desire. For some reason he couldn't fathom, Xelloss still seemed unsure.

Incongruously, he remembered Gourry's question outside the gates of Seyruun. _It's okay if we like Xelloss, isn't it?_ he'd asked in innocent concern. _It doesn't exactly do him any good,_ Lina had answered. Mazoku thrived on the fear and disgust they inspired in humans. Naturally, it would be disconcerting at the very least to be accepted, to be wanted -- to be desired.

 _It's too late to change your mind and deny me now,_ he thought, allowing himself to feel anger at Xelloss for his hesitation. He would have said it aloud, but instead he pulled their hands away so he could kiss Xelloss convincingly.

Things progressed more quickly after that, although not with the secretive urgency of the past days and nights in Seyruun when it still felt like these moments might escape their grasp. They undressed each other eagerly but deliberately, never breaking contact. Distracted by his own desire, Zelgadis almost forgot to feel ashamed of his body, although his cheeks still flamed when Xelloss looked at and touched places he thought no one should ever look at him. For a while, they simply knelt together on the sleeping pad, learning and remembering the feel of each other.

Zelgadis found once again that Xelloss seemed to relish the pressure of his rough skin, seeking contact that would have been painful to a normal person. He pressed forward, and Xelloss fell beneath him easily.

The Mazoku tasted and felt even better than Zelgadis remembered, now that there was time to enjoy him. That dark power swelling just beyond the range of human senses came through his skin like an exotic scent. At the same time, Xelloss' skin, his hair, the way his body moved, were all that Zelgadis could have imagined he would desire in a human lover.

And, even aside from his half-closed eyes and his hands clutching at Zel, and the soft moans of delight when Zel's fingers raked his skin, there was the other, more obvious sign of his arousal. Zelgadis stroked him, and suddenly realized he was leaning close and licking his lips. He drew back a little, nipping Xelloss' thigh instead. He wasn't quite ready to take that step yet, but the idea was more intriguing than he thought it would be.

 _Unfortunately for you, Mazoku, I do want you,_ Zelgadis snarled in his mind. _I want your touch, I want your body and, gods help me, I'm starting to want your soul as well._

Xelloss was no longer the least bit hesitant, though, once they'd landed on the mattress together. He rolled them over so he was above Zel, as if he couldn't get quite enough of him from being underneath. At first, Zelgadis struggled under him, feeding Xelloss a mixture of frustration and fear. Xelloss returned the favor with flame-hot fingers that stimulated the nerves buried in Zel's rock-armored skin.

After a while, though, he gave up any conscious effort to reciprocate. Xelloss tugged his head back to lick his throat, nibbled with warm breath on his ear, and then lapped like a tongue of flame down his chest. Nipples that were nubs of unfeeling stone suddenly awoke with pleasure that stopped his breath and most of his thought, when Xelloss' sharp teeth and tongue stimulated them one after the other.

In spite of this, or maybe because of the sensory overload, Zelgadis felt Xelloss' pulsing energy more strongly than ever. His body was overwhelmed and helpless, but his thought reached out toward this dark energy before he knew what he was doing.

He caught himself and drew back abruptly, disoriented. For a few seconds, he focused on his breath and his heartbeat, on sounds and sensations in the room, to reconnect with the physical plane. He knew well enough how to reach through and direct energy from the astral side through his body to cast a spell, but reaching through to catch a glimpse and a feel of a mazoku's true form was another matter entirely - a matter of insanity.

Xelloss must have sensed his rush of fear without knowing the reason, because he moaned in that way Zel had come to recognize, the sound he made when Zel fed him a particularly strong negative emotion. But that only inspired him to renew his sensual assault on Zel's body, making Zel's mind start to spin away again. As it did, he felt the lure of Xelloss' dark power even more acutely.

This time he gave in to it. Using his knowledge of astral side spellcasting and his shamanic senses, Zelgadis kept part of his mind on his body and let the rest slide back and down, out of physical reality....

He felt it immediately, right there on the other side - rich, pulsing energy. He knew that what he could sense must be only a very small part of Xelloss, perhaps the equivalent of a fingertip in relation to the Mazoku's whole astral body. It felt both horrible and fascinating. A ripple of dread crawled through him, and yet, for some reason, he was drawn to it as undeniably as he was attracted to Xelloss' physical form. Desire pulled his spirit closer to it until his thought seemed to touch it.

It was hot and icy, solid and yet constantly in motion, as far as his mind could sort out sensations that weren't physical. His fascination with it allowed him to focus more of his mind into a form that could touch it. As he did so he became aware that more of the same energy was all around him, but he kept his spirit focused on this one small part. He concentrated, and - somehow - stroked it with his thought.

His tendril of spirit was tiny and feeble compared to all of Xelloss' power; he doubted the Mazoku would even notice him. But all at once his physical senses were distracted by movement and sound that drew his mind back to his body's reality.

Xelloss had moaned loudly against his shoulder. Zelgadis pried his eyes open to look down. He was draped across Zel's chest, leaning on him heavily. His fist was clenched in the hair at the nape of Zel's neck. As Zel's senses tuned back in to his body, he felt Xelloss' chest rise and fall against his, as if he was gasping for breath.

As soon as his mind was distracted away from the spirit side, Xelloss' breathing quieted a little. Zel rubbed his chin against soft hair and clutched his hands around Xelloss' back where the skin was smooth but hot to his touch.

"Zel-san," Xelloss said in a choked whisper. "No one has ever... I didn't think...."

Zelgadis realized what he must mean, as incredible as it seemed. But then again, why should it be so strange that no one had ever touched Xelloss' astral form before, except to attack him from that side? It wasn't likely that Mazoku went around caressing each other's spirit forms! But then, he couldn't have guessed that it would feel good to a Mazoku to be caressed, anyway. Perhaps Xelloss didn't know it would, either. Judging from his reaction, it must have felt almost too good to endure.

He settled his arms around Xelloss more tightly to steady both of them, and then closed his eyes and drew back again. It was difficult to keep part of his physical senses alert for Xelloss' response and still focus his mind on the spirit realm, but out of curiosity and desire he managed it, just enough to find that place again and touch that small part of Xelloss' spirit.

On the physical plane, he felt Xelloss shiver and heard him cry out again. Then he sensed something else... dark spirit energy pulsing around him, fiercely present, closing on him like a solid darkness. It wanted him. He could feel its longing for him like a tangible thing, but it was too huge and wild for his small spark of spirit to bear. He lost all sense of his body and started to lose all sense of himself. There was nothing but that deep, hungry darkness - that and his own pounding fear. The darkness absorbed his terror and grew from it. He was nothing but a tiny spark that was about to be snuffed out.

The darkness seemed to draw together into a moving wall that slammed him forward...

The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back staring up at a faded Lighting spell and panting for breath like a landed fish. His heart was racing so fast he thought it would burst from his chest, and his whole body ached. The scent of hay and stale bedstraw mingled with the tang of his own sweat. His limbs shook but felt too heavy to move.

He felt like he'd been hit with an astral attack spell - and then he realized that in a way, he had been, even though Xelloss hadn't meant to attack him.

In fact, Xelloss' arms were around him, and amethyst eyes were staring angrily into his. He stared back, afraid to let his eyes close, as if that would cause him to fall back out of his body again. After a moment, Xelloss smiled. That helped him find his voice.

"What... did you... just do... to me?" he gasped between gulps of dust-filled air.

"Something I've certainly never done before," Xelloss said. Zelgadis couldn't decide if his tone was smug or full of wonder. "I pushed you out of the astral realm and back into your body. I rather prefer your body when it's animated with your spirit, you see, and it appeared to me that you were about to leave it behind, permanently."

"That wasn't my intent," Zelgadis assured him. He was finally starting to catch his breath. He realized he'd been holding Xelloss' arm in a white-knuckled grip, and loosened his fingers but didn't let go completely. "I just wanted to touch you. I don't know why. It was a moment of insanity. I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't expect it to be like that." He swallowed to stop himself from babbling, and frowned up at Xelloss' amused face. "By the earth and stars, Xelloss, you're huge!"

Xelloss' right eyebrow twitched. He shifted so that Zelgadis was leaning against his chest and their legs were stretched out on the bed together. With a grin, Xelloss took his hand and drew it down between his legs.

"If I'm too big for you, Zel-san, you should have said something sooner!" he crooned.

It took Zelgadis' dazed brain several seconds to figure out what he meant. He yanked his hand away with a glare, but then thought better of that move, and placed it back where Xelloss had placed it. Xelloss' eyes fell half-closed.

"That's not exactly what I meant!" Zelgadis grumbled. "Your body, I mean, this, is big - in a good way! Your true body, though - is that what that was?"

"Yes," Xelloss said simply. "In part. The real question is not what did I do to you, but what did you do? Have you ever done that before? I didn't know even shamanic magic allowed you to access both the spirit and physical planes of existence at once."

"No," Zelgadis admitted, shaking his head. "Training in shamanic magic requires some astral body work, as I'm sure you know. But it's really more a matter of learning to connect with the other side, to draw power from it. There's a branch of shamanic study, trance magic, but it never seemed very practical. I was always more interested in learning potent attack spells and swordsmanship."

"Of course. You wanted a strong spirit as well as a strong body, so you could do strong magic. And you got more than you bargained for, so to speak."

Zelgadis didn't reply to that right away. He didn't like to remember that, in his twisted way, Rezzo had given him exactly what he'd asked for.

"I could barely cast a spell at all before Rezzo made me a chimera. I learned them, but I had no power to make them work."

"And now, you can cast one of the most potent Ra Tilt attacks I've ever seen! Are you even aware of how strong your astral spirit really is, Zelgadis?"

Xelloss sat back and touched his face, looking at him intently, as if studying him. Zelgadis gazed back at him, wondering what he was seeing. Then he gasped and stiffened as he suddenly became more sharply aware of Xelloss' aura of power reaching out to him from the other side.

His heart began to pound again. Just when he was about to jerk away to break contact, Xelloss lowered his eyes. The sense of being probed from the other side ceased.

"I don't think you do know," Xelloss said thoughtfully. "That's why you lost control when I responded to you on the astral side."

"If you're saying I didn't know what I was doing, you're quite right. Trying to keep my awareness in both planes at once.... That's not how it's done! It's probably not even possible."

"It is, actually," Xelloss mused. "This is one of those areas of magic in which the Sorcerer's Guild still has a limited understanding. However..."

He fell silent. Resting his head on Zel's shoulder, he seemed to be staring at something unseen in the dimly lit room.

Zelgadis still didn't want to close his eyes. He felt as drained as if he'd done some major spellcasting, but his physical senses were on high alert. He was distinctly aware of Xelloss' arms around him, and he could hear the slightest rustle of movement. He stared around at the bare room to ground himself in the physical plane, but there was nothing much to look at. His own blue skin, Xelloss' dark hair and pale body were the only splashes of color to be seen.

Even as tense and exhausted as he was, he felt nearly as satisfied to lie here like this as if he'd reached climax with Xelloss - almost. When Xelloss' hand started to roam over his chest and stomach, he knew he'd be wanting more soon. But Xelloss didn't seem to be working to any purpose. He trailed his fingers over the rocky planes on Zel's torso idly, obviously preoccupied with other thoughts. Impatiently, Zelgadis caught Xelloss' wandering hand under his own and tried to catch the mazoku's eye.

"Xelloss, I can't believe I'm going to ask this, but: what are you thinking?"

Xelloss smiled in a familiar, secretive way, and the amethyst eyes focused on him again.

"Well, it's a little complicated. I couldn't do something like this on a whim, you know."

"Something like what?" Zelgadis asked cautiously.

"Back in Shimeria, you didn't realize that your power was being drawn off by the magical seal working through the Relics, did you?"

Zelgadis frowned, confused by the change of subject to something he'd rather not think about.

"No, not really," he admitted. "Not until I got to the shrine. But you noticed it as soon as we came to the Valley, you said."

"Yes. Now, it's possible that the remaining relics might still be able to weaken your magical capacity in the same way." He paused and shrugged. "Not very likely, I suppose, since you broke the seal, but why take unnecessary chances?"

"Why indeed?" Zelgadis echoed, wondering where this was going.

"If they can, you could be at risk if we ever meet up with vengeful Followers of Shimer," Xelloss continued.

"I suppose it could," Zelgadis said doubtfully. "But I don't intend to meet up with any of them any time soon, if ever."

"I'm aware of that, Zel-san. However!"

He raised himself up on his elbows to look down at Zelgadis. His eyes glittered behind his bangs, and his expression was smug.

"What are you getting at, Xelloss?"

"Just this: If you were properly trained and more fully aware of your astral side powers, you would be better prepared to deal with the Followers of Shimer. Therefore, as it's my duty to protect you from them, I'm justified in teaching you more about your astral body than the Sorcerer's Guild could teach you in a thousand years."

Zelgadis felt his jaw drop, and he saw Xelloss' smug grin grow wider.

"You're suggesting that you, a Mazoku, are going to teach me, a human, how to do astral magic? Isn't there something fundamentally wrong with this scenario?"

"It's certainly an unusual situation," Xelloss admitted lightly. His grin became more suggestive, then, and he slid his hand out from under Zel's to move it lower. When he closed his warm fist around Zel's lack of erection and leaned closer, Zel felt a shiver of anticipation run up his spine.

"However," Xelloss continued in a quieter voice, "since it seems that size is an issue between us, I want to assure you that you are not as inadequate as you seem to think you are."

For the first time since he'd fallen back into his body, Zelgadis let his eyes start to close, letting the sensory pleasure of Xelloss' touch take over. At the same time, though, he realized what Xelloss was saying. He laughed softly.

"You really did like it, didn't you?" he said, a little breathlessly as the pressure of Xelloss' hand started to have a predictable effect. "Teaching me to defend myself against hypothetical Shimerians is just a.... convenient... excuse..."

He broke off then, too preoccupied with what Xelloss was doing to put more words together.

"Certainly not," he heard Xelloss say. "I can't go around teaching advanced magic to humans merely for my own enjoyment, now, can I?"

"Mazoku logic," Zelgadis muttered. Then Xelloss licked the pulse point under his ear, and that was the last coherent thought he had for some time.

After that, it became what he'd imagined it would be from the start. Xelloss pressed him down into the sleeping pad with his whole body, and when he wasn't drawing Zel's breath away with his deep, hungry kiss, Zelgadis could do nothing but throw his head back and moan.

Xelloss groaned as well and writhed on top of him, as if he was trying to tear himself open on the sharp stones embedded in Zel's skin. Zelgadis felt the first waves of fear in response to Xelloss' power and urgency, and felt Xelloss grow harder when those waves hit him. He let his emotions sink down into familiar self-loathing, disgust with himself for his own weakness, for craving a monster's touch.

He could taste the magical essence of Xelloss' body, but gradually he became aware of it in another way as well. It was subtle at first but it grew in pace with his body's arousal. As urgently as Xelloss claimed him physically, on the other side his touch was delicate and teasing, coaxing Zel's spirit to respond in spite of his fear.

Zelgadis had no choice this time; his senses were being stimulated on both sides, splitting his awareness in two. He'd thought it felt like madness before when he'd given Xelloss his pain and received blinding pleasure in return; he thought it had felt like some powerful spell almost beyond his control when Xelloss filled his body and drew him to a screaming climax. This time, it was all of that and more. He felt like his mind had shattered when his spirit convulsed along with his body. And Xelloss, of all people, caught the scattered pieces and melted them back together.

A strange dream of Xelloss lying next to him - a huge, black shape with inhuman eyes watching him - resolved itself into the reality of lying on a lumpy sleeping pad in a dusty bunkhouse. As usual, when he opened his eyes, Xelloss was close to him, smiling but with his eyes closed, as if he was waiting to sense his first waking emotions. Zelgadis wasn't sure what he felt; nearly numb, but exhilarated, and then when it started to sink in, terrified.

"Well done, Zelgadis-san," Xelloss murmured in a voice touched with humor. The inhuman eyes opened, just as they did in that fleeting dream, except there were only two of them; in the dream there were many eyes in that swirling, solid darkness. "You survived your first lesson."

Zelgadis felt like he'd lost his voice some time in the last few minutes. Maybe it was back there, still screaming Xelloss' name in the other dimension. Beyond the satisfied lethargy of his body, he was aware of a humming glow in his spirit, as if it couldn't settle after being so overstimulated. It was not unpleasant, but it distracted him from this moment he craved nearly as much as the sex. He rolled over and caught Xelloss' solid body in his arms, and used it to ground himself in the physical world again.

A tremor ran through Xelloss, reminding Zel of the way he'd jumped when they'd first touched earlier. A second later he settled into Zel's embrace so comfortably that he would have thought he'd imagined it, except for the strange words Xelloss whispered to himself a moment later.

"And it seems I've survived it as well..."

 

\---

 

 _(Mystport, the present...)_

Zelgadis still wondered sometimes what Xelloss had meant by those words. He knew by now that his own power was far greater than he'd ever realized, but it certainly wasn't enough to be any threat to Xelloss even if he ever truly mastered it. Now and then he thought he sensed that same hesitation again, but it vanished so quickly that he was never sure it was real.

Zelgadis was quite certain that Xelloss was right. Shamanist Magic could never have taught him what he'd learned from a Mazoku whose natural existence was on the astral side. At times the terror of touching a pure, alien spirit was almost too much to bear, but the power he was slowly gaining was worth it.

However, at a moment like this while he was waiting for Xelloss to return so he could reach out to him again, Zelgadis knew that the quest for power was just an excuse, just as much as Xelloss' claim that teaching him astral magic was for his own protection. Xelloss might never admit it, but Zelgadis knew they really did it because they couldn't help themselves, because they wanted to - because they wanted each other. Sometimes, Zelgadis knew that was reason enough.

He reheated the water in the bath with another little blast from his hand, then lay back and looked up at the stars that seemed to be floating in a thin mist overhead. He felt much better for the meal and the time alone to reflect and relax. It might have been a mistake to send the restless Mazoku off to town on his own, but he doubted Xelloss would waste a lot of energy stirring up trouble. He certainly couldn't read Xelloss' emotions like Xelloss could sense his, but he had no doubt about the anticipation he'd felt rising between them before Xelloss left.

The hot water was a sensual pleasure, but not as arousing as his memories. Thoughts of what they would do when Xelloss returned were even more stimulating. Zelgadis shifted in the water to accommodate his growing arousal, but what he desired now was the touch of Xelloss' hand. Even after all that he'd done with Xelloss, he still couldn't bring himself to touch himself that way. His disgust with his own body would never change. But that was part of the reason Xelloss was drawn to him, after all. If he wasn't a chimera, he wouldn't have all of this knowledge and power, and he wouldn't have Xelloss. At a moment like this, that was all he wanted.

Beyond the stimulation of his body, Zelgadis felt his spirit awaken as well, as if it was seeking stimulation of its own. He slipped his awareness into it as if he was slipping his hand into a glove that could reach beyond the length of his fingers. It wasn't that simple, really, but that was the thought he used to focus it into a form with which he could touch Xelloss. He didn't need to look at the shape it took, he only needed to reach out with his thought and his desire...

Mere longing wasn't enough, though, apparently. The astral power fell from his mental grasp and his awareness slipped back into his body. He opened his eyes and sighed, staring up at the stars.

A second later the stars disappeared. Zelgadis blinked. Xelloss hovered in the air above the pool with his hair and cloak flapping in the sea breeze.

"Xelloss!" he gasped, startled, and then added, "It's about time!"

Xelloss said nothing but smiled down at him. He crouched down, still hovering several feet overhead.

"There's a view worth traveling all this way to see!" he said with a leer.

Zelgadis realized he was peering down through the water to where his body was stretched out on the rocks and obviously aroused. Instinctively he began to sit up and pull his legs in, but it was too late for that. Xelloss' cloak and the rest of his clothes vanished. He drew his knees up to his chest and plummeted down into the water like one of Jillas' cannonballs, sending a wave of steaming water over Zel's head.

Zelgadis was still snorting water out of his nose a second later when he realized that Xelloss was sitting on his lap, straddling his thighs. He froze, although it was with more of a melting sensation than anything else, when Xelloss rocked against him and lifted his knees up under Zel's arms. This was exactly what he'd done the last time Zelgadis had had a hot bath, and how Zel had ended up doing something he could still hardly believe he'd done. Obviously, Xelloss remembered that just as well. He lifted Zel's chin and smiled down at him, so close their lips almost touched. Close enough the must have felt the breath of Zel's gasp when he wiggled so that Zel's erection fit more snugly against his bottom.

"Now, then," Xelloss said thoughtfully. "Where did we leave off in our last lesson?"

He touched Zel's cheek, trailing a finger over the stones on his chin.

"Xelloss-sensei," Zelgadis breathed against his lips.

"Hmm? Do you have a question for me?"

"No," Zel said. "Shut up."

He caught Xelloss' mouth with his and threw his arms around him to pull him down. That was the end of lessons for the moment, at least.

\---  
to be continued.   
next: How Xelloss entertained himself on his solo excursion into town while Zelgadis was doing all this reminiscing in the bath.


	3. Glitter Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Xelloss mixes business and pleasure on a solo visit to Mystport.

_"They say 'Desire drives the will that casts the spell'," the mysterious sorcerer-swordsman said. He was very well learned and a master of soul-magic, so he often said things like that in a voice so serious you just had to believe him, even if you didn't know what he was talking about._

 _There wasn't much that could scare him, but the Sorcerer turned to him and glared a dangerous glare, and snarled at him so fiercely that he actually flinched._

 _"What kind of idiot says things like that?" she snapped._

from Book Two: _The Princess of Fate and the Soul-Sealing Spell_

\---

 

As soon as he left the cottage and headed back into Mystport on his own, Xelloss wanted nothing more than to return there and take advantage of all that privacy Zelgadis had found for them to share. However, Zelgadis had been right when he suggested a Mazoku should prefer the atmosphere in town over solitude, even if it was shared solitude. After two weeks passing through deep wilderness and the occasional tiny village, he should be glad to take advantage of whatever Mystport had to offer.

While Zelgadis was busy ordering dinner and getting settled in the cottage, Xelloss hovered above the thin mist for a moment and looked over the town from the air. He got the layout of the place clear in his mind, from the mansions tucked into the bend of the river further up the valley down to the docks and shipyards. Then he perched on the top of the harbormaster's tower for a good view of the shipyards and the bay.

Now that he had his attention on something besides Zelgadis, he could feel the difference. Even a quaint little town like Mystport provided a steady stream of miasma from the collective negative emotions of its citizens, much more than a single, irritable chimera provided. On the other hand, Xelloss had begun to feel that more wasn't necessarily better.

He gazed from the harbor up toward the merchant's district they'd passed through earlier. There had been plenty of negative emotional energy in that crowd outside the bookshop, he reflected, even if it was in response to their own imagings rather than to real events (as human emotions often were, he'd found). The problem was that he'd had to force himself to enjoy that banquet when it was right in front of him. Even the mild irritation from the chimera had been much more appealing. After Zelgadis complained that Xelloss preferred to pick on him over all others, Xelloss had decided to remind himself that there were other tables to feast at in the world.

Aside from that, a sense of duty had begun to tug on him as soon as they'd arrived at the coast. Following Zelgadis to the far end of the continent didn't exactly go against his orders, but doing so had made it difficult to follow through on the third part of the assignment he'd been given - the one that Zelgadis still didn't know about.

The first part of his assignment was easy enough. Xelloss found it both amusing and convenient that Zelgadis didn't care to take the credit he could claim for saving the Mazoku race from imminent destruction, so keeping that a secret was no problem. He knew Zelgadis didn't quite believe that he'd also been ordered by Xelas-sama to protect him from vengeful Followers of Shimer, but she had been quite clear about that. Humans never seemed to understand the Mazoku sense of obligation in these matters.

He'd had only a faint hope that he might be able to perform the third part of his assignment once they got to Mystport, but the afternoon's events had strengthened that hope a little. He would have to gather more information to be certain, though, and it would be easier to do that on his own while Zelgadis was safely occupied elsewhere.

Therefore, Xelloss had several purposes in mind when he reluctantly left Zelgadis alone out on the point and returned to town. His quest certainly seemed to start off much better than Zelgadis' had. He left his perch on the tower and landed near the docks, where the very first thing he found was a brawl that had already spilled out of a tavern onto the street. That provided a refreshing bit of aggression and violence for him to feed upon, until the local constables spoiled everyone's fun by hauling several drunken sailors away. Xelloss shrugged. It wasn't much, merely an appetizer for him. He hoped Zelgadis' dinner portions were more generous.

He spent some time wandering around the docks where ships brought goods and passengers from the north and south. There wasn't as much activity as he'd expected, though, and the office of the harbormaster was closed and dark. Even the gulls were settling for the night.

The sun disappeared behind a band of cloud at the far edge of the sky before sinking below the horizon. A few fishermen and sailors were quietly finishing their work for the day, mending nets or stacking crates for loading onto ships in the morning. He overheard talk of the winter storms brewing out at sea, ready to sweep ashore in the coming days.

The bay was filled with fishing boats empty of the day's catch and ready to sail out at dawn, but the last of the coastal tour boats were docked for the season. For the next few months there would only be passenger vessels sailing in once or twice a week, slipping in between the storms. If it was a mild year, they might not lose any on the rocks out beyond the headlands.

Xelloss heard the last of this from a couple of dockworkers who were hurrying to finish their work before it got completely dark. When they were getting ready to leave, he stepped up and asked them if they knew when ships were scheduled to arrive and depart within the next few days. They grinned at each other knowingly and then at him.

"You and everyone else wants to know!" said one of them, a stocky young man with a gap-toothed grin.

Xelloss cocked his head. "Are you saying there are no regular schedules?"

"Sure there are, but not for the one boat everyone's asking about. You want to know when the Princess is due in port, don't you?"

"Do I?" Xelloss replied, even more puzzled. The Coastal States were self-governing, so he wondered why royalty from the northern kingdoms would be visiting at a time when travel was becoming difficult.

The stocky man laughed. "Well, maybe you don't, but I'd sure like to know! Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, maybe not till tomorrow night, but it'll be guarded like a shipment of gold whenever it comes, that's for sure. They're keeping that under wraps, they are, and with good reason! There's been riots and mobs swamping ships when they dock with that book in their holds! "

"Ah!" Xelloss exclaimed as understanding broke over his head like a wave over a rock. "You're talking about the arrival of the new Princess of Fate book!"

"What else?" the stocky man said, and his companion laughed. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone else you're all excited about a kid's book! I'm as excited as you are, tell the truth. My daughter's picking up her copy soon as it comes in, then she'll bring her kids and stay the weekend so she can read it to all of us."

His partner grinned and shook his head. "You're getting feeble in the brain, you are, Mac," he said. He turned to Xelloss. "I like a good yarn as much as anyone, but from all Mac here has said, that book spins a pretty far-fetched tale. Give me a good old tale of the sea, stuff that really happened! If you read stuff like those Princess books, you might as well start believing in those old stories about Skye that they tell the tourists."

Xelloss opened his mouth to ask what tales they told of Skye, but Mac cut him off.

"Oh, it's better'n those by a long shot! You don't recall any beautiful princesses in those old myths, just a lot of wizened up old sorcerers and weird old creatures. But these Princess books, there's something about the story that makes you think it could have happened -- though you'd be glad it didn't happen to you! It just stirs you up, somehow."

"Well, I guess it's stirred people up," his buddy replied. "You just better hope your shipment of books doesn't get stolen by pirates, or worse'n that."

"I'd be more worried about those book-burning maniacs setting fire to my ship with them books on it, if I was captain of the ship bringing it in," Mac said. "You think it's crazy to want to read a book so bad, but I say it's crazier to burn it!"

"Book burners?" Xelloss asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah!" Mac said. He gave Xelloss a quick look up and down. "You don't get much news where you've been, I take it? Up north there in Ralteague, they've got some folks who think those Princess books are evil. Somehow they got hold of a whole lot of books from somewhere and had a bonfire with them. They say The Princess gives children bad ideas and that she makes Dark Magic and Monsters look like a load of fun!"

"Does she, now?" Xelloss said, growing more interested. "And I understand there's something about a dead dragon...?"

He jumped backward as both men reacted immediately and loudly. Mac grimaced and clapped his fist to his forehead, while his friend threw up his hands and groaned.

"Don't get him started on that again!" Mac's friend said. "He's driven himself crazy worrying about that damn dragon! He had to talk about it nonstop for days after he heard that part, 'till my own head was spinning."

"It just doesn't make sense!" Mac insisted. His brow furrowed and he looked at them beseechingly. " See, if the dragon is really dead, then all that stuff with the monsters back in the third book doesn't make any sense at all, unless there's something else going on that the Sorcerer doesn't even know about...."

Mac's friend groaned again. He grabbed Mac's arm and started to drag him away. "Great. I'll have to get him drunk now just to shut him up, before he drives me crazy too!"

Amused, Xelloss watched them leave. Mac walked sideways up the street beside his befuddled friend, waving his hands in the air and arguing earnestly. His buddy could only shake his head and coax him along toward the nearest tavern.

"My, my! I might actually have to read this book someday," Xelloss said softly. "I'm beginning to wonder about that dragon myself!" Besides that, he thought, it would be worth buying it just to see Zelgadis' reaction. He hoped they still had copies at Gosling's.

For the moment, however, he had other things to wonder about besides the fate of a storybook dragon. There didn't seem to be much more useful information to be found around the docks, so he wandered up the streets toward the center of town.

There were no more tavern brawls going on this early in the evening. He followed the smell of seafood and the sound of lively music to a restaurant where an elegant wedding party was under way. The guests had just toasted the bride and groom, and all were sitting down to dine on a gourmet dinner featuring freshly caught salmon, the finest local delicacy of all.

Xelloss walked past the open windows from which the music and the smell of seafood spilled. Some of the guests happened to glance his way. They smiled and raised their glasses to the passing priest. He smiled back and waved his hand in what they took as a gesture of benediction. A second later, their feast became his when the gourmet dinner exploded.

Fish heads, steaming hot vegetables, and of course, rice (it was a wedding, after all) flew up into the air and pelted down on the guests in their gowns and tuxedos. Dishes crashed as people jumped from their chairs and screamed at the bewildered waiters, who ran back into the kitchen and threw their trays at the cooks. A few minutes later, Xelloss had to hide his grin behind his hand as the head chef raced past him up the street with an angry mob on his heels. The bride outpaced the rest, even though she had to run with her fish-stained dress hiked up in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other.

As they streamed past him, Xelloss imagined the glare Zelgadis would have turned on him for causing such a riot. When he caught himself thinking that glare would be more thrilling than the riot itself, he stopped and shook his head. It was time to stop thinking about Zelgadis for a few minutes and concentrate on business, he scolded himself.

He wandered through the center of town for another half an hour, trying to get down to business, but he frequently found his gaze pulled toward the high point of land at the far end of the bay. Zelgadis would have had time to eat his own seafood feast by now, he thought, and might even be lounging in the bath already...

That thought brought such a surge of lust that it nearly lifted him into the air to go streaking toward the cottage. He took a deep breath to remind himself where he was in physical space, and stood still in the dark street while he dragged his awareness back into his body. His breath came out in a sigh. He tried very hard not to think about where Zelgadis' body was at that moment, and what he would be doing if he were there as well. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else to distract him on the quiet streets of Mystport after the sun set.

The sea breeze had lifted the mist that hung over the town. Xelloss looked up to see the first bright stars in the darkening sky overhead. Faintly, from all around, he sensed the emotional energy of humans. Small waves of despair mingled with the love of life as they went about their ordinary affairs. Even the darkest, juiciest strains of it held little appeal compared to the vision of Zelgadis that kept returning to his mind.

Frowning, he shook those thoughts out of his mind and dragged them back to his business in town. He lifted into the air and skimmed the rooftops and treetops. Circling out from the center of town, he searched determinedly for one more chance to do something productive that evening.

He skirted around the local Temple of the Gods in the middle of its wide green lawn dotted with pools, and spotted the governor's stately mansion on a hill above the river. Mystport was indeed a quiet little town; there were no more than a few sleepy guards on duty even at the gated mansion.

In fact, there was nothing else to capture his interest at all, until he heard a sound that was music to his ears: a pair of voices raised in a lively little domestic squabble. Thin and sharp, twin strands of anger drew him to dive closer, like a seagull swooping down to catch a crumb.

"OW! Quit pulling my hair!" screamed a girl's high-pitched voice. It drifted up from the open window of a house in the residential area near the governor's mansion. Dry leaves rattled in the trees and rustled in the yards around the well-kept houses. Xelloss landed on the roof and settled down cross-legged to listen in.

"Oh, stop whining! I didn't do it on purpose - this time," said a second girl's voice, sharper but not as high as the first. "Just stop stealing my stuff! You're not old enough to wear this, anyway. You look like a tramp!"

"I look better'n you do in it, slob! Ouch! Stop it! _Mom!_ "

"What a baby! I can't believe you actually went out in public dressed like this, and I can't believe you wore all that cheap junk along with my good jewelry. And that's my blouse, too!"

"Hey, give that back! Those are mine!"

There was another screech, the sounds of a struggle and ripping cloth, ending with a slap.

"Ow!" the older girl yelled this time. "You are such a brat! Fine, here, take your junk back. Just leave my stuff alone from now on. You shouldn't even be touching these, anyway; they aren't toys, you know!"

Xelloss heard the rattle of trinkets and beads -- a peculiar, familiar rattle that made his lip curl up in distaste.

"These are magical," the older girl scolded. "They're not just for show. If you broke them, I'll kill you!"

"Oh sure. Just because Uncle Ned gave them to you for your biirtth-daay" the younger girl said in a sarcastic, sing-song voice, "you think they're special. Just like you think you're special!"

"Look, these aren't like the rest of that junk you wear, tramp. You know what Uncle Ned said, they can't make any more like this stuff, so they're getting rare and really valuable."

The beads rattled again. "I didn't break anything. Anyway, I don't think they're all that magical. You just think there's something special about them because Uncle Ned gave them to you. Well, even if they are rare, he's bringing me some, too, when his ship comes in tomorrow. He said he would."

Xelloss leaned forward, listening intently.

"Don't be an idiot. That's just Uncle Ned's squadron coming in on that boat. They're soldiers; they're not bringing a whole boat load of jewelry."

"Yes, they are! He said he was going to give me some beads and rings, too, and he's bringing a necklace for Mom."

Xelloss smiled in the dark above the roof. He'd finally found what he'd been looking for.

"Huh! Well, good! You need them, since they're supposed to make you into a nicer person."

"HA! They sure don't work on you, then!"

There was the sound of more struggling, muffled curses of "fish-girl!" and "werewolf breath!" and another slap, followed by another insistent cry of "Mom!"

Xelloss heard Mom's muffled voice coming from another part of the house. It sounded irritated but resigned, as if she heard all this on a regular basis. "Stop fighting, you two! Della, don't hit your sister! Rya, stop taking Della's things without asking first!"

From the sound of things, the girls weren't even listening. Obviously, Rya was right; the Relics had no power over these two.

Xelloss looked around when he heard footsteps come up the walk, crunching dry leaves on pavestones. He was not the least bit surprised to see one of the two girls he and Zel met up with earlier. She knocked on the door and called for Rya.

"Jin's here, I gotta go!" Rya said quickly.

"Brat!" Della snapped one more time. Xelloss could hear her sorting through the jewelry; the Relics rattled distinctively among all the other trinkets. "Go play with your little tramp friend. If you ever touch my stuff again, I'll get Uncle Ned to cut off your fingers next time he's here!"

"Nyah!"

Xelloss recognized the sound of a tongue being stuck out and wagged, and then the final rattle and thunk of jewelry as Rya jumped up and dashed out the door. He sat back and hugged his knees happily. When Uncle Ned's ship arrived tomorrow, he could finally get back to work.

He glanced down from the roof through nearly bare tree branches. It was dark in the yard, but he could see the two girls well enough. They were barely recognizable as the two little fashion dolls he'd seen earlier. Jin, the pale-faced one, was dressed in less eye-catching clothes now, a plain dress with long sleeves and plain black shoes. Her eyes were large and rimmed with lashes so thick he could see them even in the dark; she wouldn't need jewelry to catch boys' eyes in another year or two. Rya had a fiery mane of hair and a fierce look in her emerald eyes. She'd tossed a tunic over her head in place of the stolen blouse, and she was barefoot.

"I heard your mom yelling. Are you in trouble?" Jin said anxiously.

"Nah. Della got mad, as usual." She shrugged.

"Did you tell her who we saw today?" Jin asked. She leaned forward and twisted her hands together eagerly.

Rya shook her head. "Course not! She was too mad to listen! She would've just said I was lying. Anyway, it's not like it really was them, you know."

"Why not? They looked just like them, you even said so!"

"Because it's a story, stupid!" Rya poked Jin in the arm. "Ever since you heard it, you think every stranger in town is one of those guys! Just 'cause one of them was a priest doesn't mean he's really that Xelloss."

Xelloss nearly slipped off his perch onto their heads. Of course, he realized as he caught himself: the tale of the priest and the chimera who had destroyed the Shrine of Shimer had traveled to Mystport along with the Relics. Still, it was disconcerting to hear his name tossed out so casually from the lips of a giggling schoolgirl.

"Yeah, but the other one with him, he looked just like the chimera, too! He must have been Zelgadis."

"Yeah?" Rya said skeptically. "How could you tell? You couldn't even see his face!"

"Exactly, ' cause he's always all covered up like that - you saw, though, he had, like, blue skin, and little rock chips around his eyes, just like the chimera-guy in that story!"

"Well, maybe," Rya said doubtfully. She put her finger under her chin. "But why would they come here of all places? More likely they were some beast-man and one of those weird priests from that temple over in Wyndcliff. You know they wear funny clothes up there."

"C'mon, Rya!" Jin's cry was a wail of betrayal. "It had to be them!"

"It's just a story, Jin! You'd believe anything. Mazoku don't really go walking around town looking like humans!" She shuddered "That would be too creepy. Even worse than having Della for a sister! Anyway, they were just a couple of guys."

Xelloss sensed a different kind of shiver replace Rya's horror with girlish excitement, which was quickly conveyed from her to Jin. "But they were handsome guys, and they were looking at us!"

Her words ended in a squeal, and then giggles took over again. Glee rose like a sour perfume up through the tree branches. Xelloss decided he'd heard all he needed to hear for now. He'd done all he could do in town, and it was high time for dessert. Still grinning, he shot up into the air and gave in to the force of desire that had been pulling him toward the point all along.

\---

It was more of a challenge to sneak up on Zelgadis since he'd been tutoring him in astral magic, but it was worth it to try. Even before he came in sight of the bath from the air, he sensed the familiar aura, rich with desire. With a rush of delight far stronger than anything in town had provided, he realized Zelgadis was thinking of him... waiting for him... It was worth tearing himself away for a couple of hours just to come back and feel it so sharply.

He shielded himself from Zelgadis' sharp senses, but he could tell that Zel was too relaxed to notice him anyway. The sight of him was just as enticing as he'd imagined. He paused to gaze down on this rare view of the chimera's strong, slim body, limbs spread and relaxed under the water. Steam rose around him and drops glistened on silver strands of hair, and his face was flushed and damp. Zelgadis' eyes were closed as he leaned back in the water, his lips parted in a little smile. Another wave of desire crashed through Xelloss when he finally sensed the sexual energy swirling below the still surface of his aura and simultaneously noticed Zel's physical arousal.

The shaman's spirit reached out toward him blindly, barely missed touching him, and then fell back. Xelloss closed his eyes and sighed, firmly drawing his own awareness into the physical plane. Now he knew for certain that Zelgadis had been thinking of him and wanting him. That was all he needed to know.

He dropped down and materialized a few feet above Zelgadis. The scent of his bath-warmed stone body rose up on the steam to engulf his senses. Blue eyes flashed up at him with surprise, and then with something more welcoming.

Xelloss wanted nothing more than to touch his lithe body until those eyes glazed over. He gazed down to see Zelgadis spread out under the water like the most delicious feast waiting to be caught and taken. Nothing Mystport had to offer could compare with this.

It reminded him of the last time he'd seen Zelgadis immersed in a steaming bath, not long ago on their travels. He remembered how deeply he'd wanted the chimera on that occasion, and the intense pleasure of letting Zelgadis fill him and touch him in ways that had astonished both of them. He wanted him as strongly now as he did then.

He dropped into the bath in the most expedient way possible; the fact that this startled Zelgadis and left him sputtering in wet surprise was just an added bonus. He landed in Zel's lap and stradled his hips. The contact with warm stone skin under water made him hard almost instantly.

Zelgadis shook the water out of his face and focused on him a second later, and Xelloss knew from the steamy look in those eyes that his chimera had been thinking of the same thing he had been - that previous time in the bath when he'd reversed their usual positions. He'd had to coax the shaman to take him that way the first time, but this time Zelgadis was as eager as he was. Within minutes, he was shuddering with pleasure as Zelgadis' hardness filled him again and that small but powerful spirit pulsed within his. Xelloss felt like he would never have need of anything else again.

Some time later, after the sea wind had torn his sharp moans and Zelgadis' scream away over the dunes, after sensation and desire had peaked and swept all thoughts away, Xelloss carried Zelgadis back into the cottage and settled next to him on the bed. He watched the chimera's relaxed body settle into sleep and listened to his breathing along with the muffled sound of the surf. Zelgadis' astral body settled as well, losing the form Zel's desire to touch him had given it as his consciousness gave up its grip. Reluctantly, Xelloss let it withdraw from his.

As it slipped from his grasp, Xelloss realized how strange it was to have held it like this in the first place. Wanting to hold on to a moment just as it was, to keep it from slipping away into the chaos of passing time - he'd never imagined such a feeling before. Mazoku exist for the sake of destruction; there was no word for preservation in his language, and no place for it in his thought.

As far as he knew, there was nothing inherently wrong with touching a mortal spirit this way. It had probably never been done before, certainly not for pleasure, but he couldn't see the harm in it. But ever since leaving Seyruun - in fact, ever since he'd left the ruins of Shimeria and returned to Zelgadis - he hadn't thought of much else beyond finding opportunities to be alone with him, and finding excuses to touch his body and feel his spirit. He wanted to hoard these moments like pirates' treasure and guard them against all other intrusions.

It had been easy enough to ignore when all he had to do was follow Zelgadis through the wilderness, but tonight it had become clear that, ever since he'd left Shimeria, something was very wrong with his priorities. As soon as Uncle Ned's ship sailed into the harbor tomorrow, he was going to start putting things back in order.

Zelgadis rolled over and slid up against him. His rough cheek rubbed against Xelloss' shoulder, and wire-stiff hair tangled his own dark strands. Somehow Xelloss found his hand had come to rest on Zel's hip. For a moment he fought against the urge to pull him closer and feel the cool, stony skin pressed against his physical form.

Xelloss decided he had no other duties pressing on him at the moment. He might just as well lie here in the dark, listen to the waves, and let his thoughts drift aimlessly. And if he was going to do that, he might as well do it with his arms around Zelgadis.

\---  
to be continued.

Coming up: Xellos remembers an unexpected obstacle that came up when he began to teach Zelgadis astral body magic. (lemon chapter!)


	4. Resistance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xelloss flashes back and remembers the unexpected obstacle that appeared as he began to teach Zelgadis about astral body magic.

Xelloss never really slept anymore since he'd recovered from the Curse of Shimeria, but sometimes he came close to it when he was lying next to Zelgadis in the dark of night. He even came close to dreaming as a human might, drifting through memories and stray thoughts. Of course, these days, almost all of those thoughts were of Zelgadis. With a thousand years of life and adventure to reminisce about, all that ever passed through his mind these days were events from the past few years, and especially, the past two weeks.

The sea wind snuffled around the corners of the cabin as it shifted direction during the night. After weeks in the mountains with only the quiet sigh of wind in the evergreen boughs, the constant rumble of the surf seemed loud. Xelloss stayed close enough to Zelgadis so that he could hear the chimera's steady heart beat over other sounds. It was a rhythm he never seemed to grow tired of, especially since it had nearly stopped back in Shimeria.

Since that time, and especially in the last two weeks, Xelloss had learned things about humans that he hadn't known before, and some things about Zelgadis that he should have known already. With a light touch of his thought, he could sense how much stronger Zel's spirit had become in a short time, even though Zelgadis still had difficulty sensing it himself. It was formless now, resting without Zel's thought to shape it, but earlier it had been focused enough to welcome his embrace even while Zelgadis' mind had been nearly overwhelmed with the sensations in his physical body.

Xelloss hadn't realized how difficult it was for humans to perceive of astral energy, so that generally the most they could do was draw a small amount of it into the physical realm through shamanic spells. He understood now that shamanic sorcerers like Zelgadis had to learn new ways of thinking just to accomplish this, assuming they had the spiritual power to drawn on in the first place.

Aside from that, he'd discovered a deeper resistance in Zelgadis' mind that had nearly stopped their project soon after it began. After that first surprising touch, he knew he had to convince Zelgadis to do more. He'd convinced himself from the start that there were perfectly acceptable reasons to teach Zelgadis all about his astral body. A few days later he'd discovered this unexpected obstacle. Fortunately he'd found a way to overcome it, because it had also given him one more justification to continue: Teaching Zelgadis the deeper secrets of astral body magic had provided him with one more potent taste of Zelgadis' delicious, powerful hatred.

 

 _(ten days earlier, near Boundary Point on the border of Seyruun, Ralteague, and the Coastal States...)_

By the fourth day of their journey the road had climbed into the wilderness of mountains that marked the border of Seyruun Kingdom. Nights were cool and Zelgadis' breath made clouds in the air as he walked along, watching the stars come out above the trees. The road was still clear but it had started to dwindle to a track, and they'd left the last village behind at midday the day before.

Xelloss didn't question Zelgadis' decision to follow this secluded path. He knew how much Zelgadis enjoyed solitude. Lately, Xelloss had hardly noticed if there were other people around or not. He was too busy noticing Zelgadis' presence everywhere they went.

After three days, Xelloss' mind still reeled from the memory of that first touch on his spirit. He was just surprised, he told himself. It was a phenomenon that needed to be studied, at the very least. At every opportunity, he'd coaxed Zelgadis to try again - not that the chimera needed much coaxing, but his astral touch was still tentative. It was also more difficult than it had been that first time when Zelgadis hadn't been thinking about what he was doing. It took all of his concentration to draw part of his mind away from physical reality and focus on the other side.

But in those fleeting moments when Zelgadis had succeeded in reaching through and giving his spirit shape to touch him, Xellos began to understand why it felt so good. The human spirit had an instinctive negative reaction to the Mazoku aura. Zelgadis was too infatuated with him to notice it consciously, especially when he was caught up in all the conflicted emotions and sensations of sexual arousal. That instinctive dread and fear had to be part of the reason Xelloss craved the touch of the chimera's spirit, he reasoned. It didn't explain his own infatuation with Zelgadis in the physical realm, but he'd given up trying to justify that. It also wasn't quite enough to explain why Zelgadis' mind fled so frantically from the very thing he wanted so much.

They found a place to camp near a stream just off the road. Zelgadis ate a small supper while Xelloss sipped tea and watched the campfire flicker. He watched the light of it gleam in Zelgadis' silver hair, and watched deft stone fingers cut chunks of dried meat, and watched Zel's mouth move as he ate. Xelloss licked his lips.

Zelgadis sat cross legged on the ground and poked the embers of the fire. Xelloss' eye followed the folds of his cape and tunic over the slim, hard body underneath. Anticipation thrummed through his own limbs. He tried to sense it stirring in Zelgadis as well, but Zel seemed unusually quiet even for him. It was almost as if he was trying to keep his spirit still, or ignore it completely.

Xelloss leaned forward and poured the last of the hot tea into his cup. When he sat back again, he had moved a few inches closer to Zelgadis. He wasn't really interested in drinking tea anymore. He sat with the cup on his knee, idly letting his finger trace the edge of the cup, and continued to watch Zelgadis eat.

Zelgadis' eyes glittered in the firelight. He shifted where he sat, drawing into himself. Finally he threw the last rind of meat into the fire.

"Don't stare at me," he said, a whisper just above the crackling embers.

He still hated being looked at. That was only part of the reason Xelloss enjoyed looking at him so much.

Xelloss lowered his head, hiding his eyes behind the shadow of his hair. He knew Zelgadis could still feel the weight of his stare now on his crossed legs, tracing the shape of his strong limbs under his clothes.

"I'll never stop staring at you, Zel-san," Xelloss said lightly. "Your body is a feast for my eyes. In fact, at the moment, I can't really see as much of it as I want to see."

Zelgadis choked back a curse. Frustration with Xelloss' teasing made his fists clench, but Xelloss knew it was the erotic suggestion in his words that made a tremor run through his body.

Xelloss leaned toward him and raised his eyes to catch Zelgadis' gaze. Blue eyes gleamed like glass in the flickering light. Xelloss lifted his hand, almost grazed Zel's chin with his knuckle. Distress and anger on Zel's face melted into desire. If he held out a little longer, Xelloss knew, that desire would become a demand.

"I won't stop looking at you," Xelloss said, "or touching you, or tasting you."

Muscles in Zelgadis' jaw clenched, making the stone chips on his face glitter. The urge to touch his rough skin surged through Xelloss and almost moved his hand, but he held still. He could feel Zelgadis' intent focused on him now. It was almost a solid force.

"Touch me, Zelgadis," he said.

Zelgadis stared at him a second, angry, frustrated, longing. Then he closed his eyes.

Xelloss could always sense Zelgadis' spirit just as easily as he saw the stone body with his eyes. It was simply there, sometimes even responding to him, but hardly aware of itself except when Zelgadis called on its power to cast a spell.

Now, Zelgadis focused his mind in a similar way, as if he was casting a spell. But he'd discovered something three nights ago, apparently by accident: pure desire could focus his spirit nearly as well as magical intent and chaos words.

"Yes," Zelgadis said softly. His breath came out in a puff of steam. "I want to touch you..."

Soft fingers of thought brushed against Xelloss on the astral side. He mirrored the light touch on Zelgadis' cheek. Behind the silver bangs that fell over his face, Zelgadis' brows twitched with the effort to maintain his concentration and feel the touch on both sides at once.

Xelloss sighed and let his own longing press against Zel's spirit. Zelgadis flinched and his breath hissed through his teeth. It was Xelloss' turn to clench his jaw in frustration. He wanted to press forward onto Zelgadis' body and he wanted to grasp that trembling spirit - but it wouldn't be enough.

This was the strangest thing. With anyone else, he would have taken the dread and the resistance, and been more than satisfied with that. He wanted Zelgadis' desire as well. So he drew back a little on the spirit side and placed his palm against Zelgadis' cheek, sliding his fingers up into stiff strands of hair that fell over his eyes.

Zelgadis' resistance melted, at least on the physical side. Eyes closed, he reached out for Xelloss.

"Touch me," Xelloss said again, barely moving his lips, speaking with his thought.

Zelgadis reached for him. A rough hand cupped the back of his neck to draw him closer, while smooth, thin fingers of spirit slid against his astral body.

Xelloss scuffled over to Zelgadis' side and leaned closer. He was near enough to taste the scent of Zelgadis' skin. His body throbbed with anticipation. He coaxed those small fingers of spirit-touch to move more freely over the surface of his astral form. This time it was more than the tiny fingertip-touch that he'd felt before. Several points of contact spread out to search for the shape of his astral body . He watched them take shape and grow.

Zelgadis felt him look at them. That drew his awareness to them as well, bringing more of his senses into focus on the spirit side besides touch. Xelloss was pleased; it was the first time he'd done this much. But when Zelgadis saw the form his touch had taken, he froze in horror.

Xelloss caught him before he darted away. Zelgadis pulled his spirit back, trying to shove his thought away, trying to cut off his awareness from the astral side. His hands clutched at Xelloss, trying to push him away, shaking.

Xelloss held on and let him struggle. He'd wondered why Zelgadis had never explored his astral powers before and knew so little of them when they were so wonderfully strong. Even without training, curiousity alone should have led him to explore more than he had, Xelloss thought. Now he knew why.

Zelgadis' astral body was that of a Brow Demon, just as his physical body was fused with a rock golem. He wanted his spirit to take some shape that was acceptable and normal to human eyes, but to him it was as ugly as his golem body. Zelgadis felt the instinctive human dread when he touched Xelloss, but he hated the inhuman shape of his own spirit even more than that.

Xelloss caught Zelgadis' struggling body in his arms while his spirit curled around Zel's on the other side. He should have expected this, he thought. Zelgadis' self-loathing was deeper and richer than merely despising his physical appearance, he'd realized that long ago. The chimera hated himself for being weak and for making the plea for power that had allowed Rezzo to give him this monstrous form. He hated himself because he still wanted the power it gave him. He hated himself sharply for wanting to touch Xelloss, and now even more than that, he hated the demon spirit that allowed him to do so.

Xelloss couldn't resist either the emotions that raged against his spirit or the body that struggled in his arms. Somehow, though, he ignored his own conflicted desire. He could have let his lust and pleasure swell at that moment and taken all he wanted from the madly struggling chimera, but he didn't.

He kissed Zelgadis deeply, pulled him closer and touched his skin with fingers hot with need. He used mouth, hands and body to pleasure Zelgadis to distraction, and fed on his desire instead of his horror. At the same time, though, Xelloss still held the flailing spirit within his own while it twisted in ever more grosteque shapes in its effort to get free -- not from Xelloss, but from itself.

At first Zelgadis lashed him with his fury, but even while his body responded with growing need, his emotion grew from anger to desperation.

"Xelloss," Zelgadis gasped. "Stop it. Let me go, please!"

Xelloss looked down on him. Zelgadis had fallen back onto the ground and pulled Xelloss down on top of him. Their struggle had pushed most of Zelgadis' clothing out of the way, and his body was arched up into Xelloss ' touch with one leg hooked around Xelloss' hip. Xelloss had bared his own skin with a swift thought. It was already marked from contact with Zel's rough stone skin.

He leaned down and cupped his hand around Zelgadis' swelling erection, then flexed his hips so his own hardness pressed against Zel's thigh.

Zelgadis made a wordless sound, swallowed hard, and closed his eyes. His spirit trembled and shifted again. Zel's eyes flew open, trying not to see what was there, trying to pull himself back completely into physical awareness. Only Xelloss' firm grip held him there on the astral side.

"No," Zelgadis whimpered. He twisted his fists in Xelloss' hair and against his shoulder. "Don't make me look at that. Just let me feel you, here," he pleaded. He thrust up against Xelloss with his body, and tried to drag his thought away from the astral plane.

"Why don't you want to see yourself?" Xelloss wondered. "Can't you see the power you have? Zelgadis, your spirit is so..."

"No!" Zelgadis shouted and clamped his hand over Xelloss' mouth.

Xelloss glared down at him. He was nearly as surprised at himself for what he'd been about to say as he was at Zelgadis for stopping him. After a second, he smiled behind Zel's fingers. He reached up and gently pried them away from his face. At the same time, he let go and let Zelgadis' spirit fall into shapeless silence without his thought to mold it.

Zelgadis gasped. Cautiously, he closed his eyes, and then pulled Xelloss down again.

After a few ragged breaths, Zelgadis let his emotions flow like a dark river to Xelloss, hiding nothing of his shame and horror. When Xelloss responded with a groan and swelled against him, Zelgadis opened up to him, demanding to be taken. Xelloss obliged without hesitation, entering him swiftly, driving away the vision of that writhing spirit body with pure physical sensation.

He took Zelgadis long, slow, and deep, drawing every ounce of pleasure that he could find into the stone body until Zelgadis was pleading with him again, and then took more until they were both desperate for release. Finally, he closed his hand around Zelgadis, ready to pump him to climax while he finished. Zelgadis hissed and clamped his own hand over Xelloss', holding him back.

Zelgadis' eyes were closed, Xelloss saw, but his awareness was all in his body. Xelloss rubbed his cheek against Zel's, licked the point of his ear, all the time moving steadily faster, driving them both to the edge.

"Xelloss," Zelgadis sobbed, on the brink of his release. "I hate you."

Xelloss exploded inside him. His frantic motions brought Zelgadis along with him.

Zelgadis panted as the force of his climax subsided. Xelloss rolled off of him but still held him lightly to feel the taut body heaving in his arms. He waited for Zelgadis to pull away from him completely, to reject him in disgust now that his passion was spent.

Zelgadis didn't pull away, except to lie back on the ground at last when he almost had his breath back. Zel's eyes looked black staring up at the sky, looking at nothing. Normally a quick wave of exhaustion would sweep over him after sex, but he was still tense and alert. Xelloss watched him and waited.

Finally, Zelgadis turned to him. There was still anger in his eyes and in the grim set of his mouth, but there was also a pleading expression that made Xelloss wince. It almost looked as if he was going to apologize.

For some reason that made Xelloss angry. He frowned and started to move away. Zelgadis caught him and pulled him back.

"No," Zelgadis said.

He pulled Xelloss down to lie next to him on the ground. He kicked off the rest of his clothes, then caught the edge of his cloak that was twisted under him and threw it up to cover them both. Xelloss wondered if this was an act of his shame or mere habit; it wasn't as if either of them needed protection from the chill of the night. The action only left Zelgadis curled up close against Xelloss, who had no choice, really, but to let his arms fall around the slim body. In spite of his tension, Zelgadis was starting to go limp.

"Zelgadis-san?"

"I still want you to touch me, Xelloss," he said, answering the question Xelloss hadn't intended to ask. "I still want to learn what you have to teach me. I just don't want to... I can't look at that."

Zelgadis' eyes were closing against his will. He'd exhausted himself with his struggles. He dropped into sleep suddenly.

Xelloss remained still and only let his fingertips move over the rocky skin of Zel's back. He was much more relieved than he would ever care to admit.

"Foolish human," he said.

Along with his sense of relief and the weight of Zel's body against his, the memory of Zelgadis' blast of hatred was almost enough to arouse him again. He smiled to himself. If only that hatred was really for him, he thought sadly, instead of being only for the thing he had shown Zelgadis.

\---

 _Mystport, the present..._

Xelloss heard the cabin creak like an old ship as the wind began to rise. The distant sound of the surf seemed louder. The tide must be coming in higher on the rocks below the cliff.

He rose from the bed and looked down at the sleeping chimera. Zelgadis had sprawled across the bed while Xelloss had been doing his dream-like thinking. One dark, muscular calf and foot stuck out from under the blanket. That and a shock silver of hair on the pillow were all that could be seen of him.

Xelloss wondered at himself sometimes. He'd had to do some strange things to break through unexpected barriers in Zelgadis' mind, all so he could teach the human knowledge no human had ever learned, certainly not from one of his kind. Zelgadis' curiosity and his craving for magical knowledge had overcome a lot of his resistance. It was still difficult for his human mind to maintain his awareness on both sides at once, but he was getting better at it.

Most of their "lessons" continued to occur during sex. The desire for contact was still the best way Zelgadis had found to focus his mind. Half jokingly, Xelloss had once pointed out that if Zelgadis could concentrate that well during sex when Xelloss was working so hard to distract him, he should have no problem during a battle. So far, however, that didn't seem to be the case; battle training had not gone nearly so well.

Xelloss' lectures on astral body theory didn't help much, and usually left Zelgadis looking at him as if he was crazy. Some things couldn't be explained, anyway. There were no words in human language or even in human thought for the magical knowledge a Mazoku took for granted, he discovered. Practical demonstrations were much more effective. What had first seemed like madness to Zel's human mind became ordinary over time. Sometimes Zelgadis didn't even know what he was learning, but his control of his astral body grew stronger in spite of himself.

Since that one glimpse of himself, though, he had been careful only to form his spirit through a sense of touch, guided by his desire to feel Xelloss on the other side. When Xelloss told him that this would limit his control of his power, Zelgadis ignored him. Xelloss stole glimpses of the chimera's astral body when it took form, but he never told Zelgadis what he saw.

Now and then Xelloss had to pause and question whether he should crave Zelgadis' touch quite as much as he did. In the middle of the night with Zelgadis lying next to him sweetly exhausted from their earlier activities, he admitted to himself just for a moment that he really only did all of this for the pleasure it gave them both.

After his excursion into Mystport earlier and the reminder of his purpose here, he'd remembered that that wasn't reason enough for a Mazoku to do anything.

Xelloss glanced out the nearest window. He couldn't see Mystport or the harbor from here, but he could see the horizon, where the dark edge of the sea met the darker edge of the sky. Streaks of light had appeared over the mountains, but he guessed they wouldn't reach the western horizon. He wondered if there was a boat out on that sea carrying travelers to Mystport ahead of the storm, or a hidden cargo of books or enchanted jewelry.

Before dawn, Xelloss finally tore himself away from Zelgadis' presence. He left the cabin to watch for ships, but he didn't go far.

\---  
to be continued


	5. The Professor and the Bookburners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a bit of brooding, Zelgadis visits an expert on the legends of Skye and gets some discouraging information. Then Xelloss finds that fulfilling his duty is a little more complicated than he realized.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written and posted December 2005

 

_Concern has grown among many parents and educators of young people about the use of advanced Black Magic as portrayed in the phenomenally popular Princess of Fate books. The Sorcerers' Guild acknowledges that the story of the Princess of Fate may be based on some actual persons and events, and that it does contain examples of real spells and in some cases, advanced Black, White and Shamanist magical techniques. However, the story as a whole should be enjoyed purely as a work of fiction and should not be considered as a training manual for magical study. The Sorcerers' Guild cautions readers that under no circumstances should they try to perform either the actual or the fictional spells, defensive and offensive magic, or supposed magical knowledge encountered by the characters in this story. Readers are advised to seek accurate information on the use of spells and the nature of magical beings only from sources authorized by the Sorcerers' Guild._

\--Official Statement of the Sorcerer's Guild concernin _g The Princess of Fate_

 

***

 

Zelgadis woke up when a gust of wind rattled the cottage window. He peered out from under the blanket, expecting to find Xelloss staring down at him as he often did when he first woke up. He could sense Xelloss nearby, but there were no violet eyes watching him.

 

Golden light slanted in through the east-facing window across the room, but what caught his eye was the view from the window near the bed, the one the sea wind had shaken. Raising his head a little, he could see the high point of land glowing in sunlight, a bright contrast to the solid, purple-black clouds that had filled the western sky.

 

Xelloss stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out to sea with his back to the dawn. His dark hair rose and fell and his trousers rippled on gusts of wind. The bare skin of his back and arms gleamed like rose-gold. Even standing there at rest in human form, his body seemed to hold hidden power waiting to be released. With a slight shift of his awareness, Zelgadis saw a glimpse of the dark energy also at rest within him, like the storm hidden in the clouds out on the horizon.

 

Zelgadis closed his eyes and sighed. He wondered if he would ever stop being so captivated by the mere sight of Xelloss' physical form. It still stopped his breath, no matter how much he reminded himself that it was only a shell Xelloss wore by choice. It was beautiful by human standards; in fact (in Zelgadis' opinion) it was almost too perfect to be allowed, so at least his attraction to it made some sense. He couldn't explain why he craved the touch of the Mazoku's terrifying spirit as well.

 

When he looked out the window again, Xelloss hadn't moved. A gust of wind blew his hair up into a dark halo around his head and then dropped it like a silk curtain. The leading edge of the storm cloud caught up with the sunrise; the golden light disappeared as suddenly as if someone had blown out a lamp. All the color faded from ground and sky, but Xelloss remained as a pale silhouette against the slate-grey clouds.

 

Zelgadis tore his gaze away and lay back against the pillow with his hands behind his head. He couldn't lie here and stare at Xelloss all day, he scolded himself. Well, he could, but that wasn't why he'd come the Mystport. It was time to think about breakfast, and then about his next move in his quest.

 

The truth was, he was a little reluctant to get on with it, now that he was actually here. For one thing, the most likely source of information in Mystport was also likely to be both discouraging and embarrassing. For another thing, he had an uncomfortable feeling that the true start of his quest would signal the end of something else. The past two weeks traveling with Xelloss and learning from him had been exhilarating, sometimes idyllic, and as terrifying and fulfilling as any world-saving adventure he'd ever had in Lina's company. It couldn't be that way all the time.

 

The brush with fate in the form of Shimer's Relics yesterday had been an unpleasant reminder of the true shape of his life, as well as a reminder of the Mazoku's true nature. Zelgadis knew that was the real reason he'd dropped everything else and hurried up to this cabin. If it was a honeymoon of sorts it might has well have the proper setting, but honeymoon trips weren't meant to last forever.

 

Xelloss appeared beside the bed and scattered Zelgadis' brooding thoughts in an instant. He tried to grab them and put them back in order, until Xelloss sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned toward him. He sat with one foot crossed under him and his knee bent toward Zelgadis, so it was natural that Zel's hand fell upon that knee. Drops of sea spray glistened on Xelloss' chest, and he smelled of fresh ocean wind.

 

Zelgadis caught another sigh before it got loose, but he gave up on making plans for the moment.

 

"Well," Xelloss said casually, "it appears that the dockworkers I spoke to were correct. The first storm of the season is already on its way."

 

Zelgadis hadn't gotten around to worrying about what trouble Xelloss might have stirred up in town the night before. Now he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

 

"You were harassing dockworkers last night? If that's the worst you found to do, I suppose I should be glad."

 

"It wasn't harassment! I overheard them talking about the weather, so I stopped to inquire about ships arriving, just in case your Mr. Osprey might be on one of them. I was trying to help," he pouted.

 

"Oh?" Zelgadis was surprised but still suspicious. "What did you find out?"

 

"Nothing," Xelloss said. "Nothing useful to you, that is."

 

Zelgadis listened with a frown as Xelloss described the dockworker Mac and his friend, and told him of the suspense surrounding the Princess books' arrival amid threats of piracy and book burners.

 

"That book!" he scoffed. "There must be a spell to induce insanity placed on every copy!"

 

"Actually, I'm very intrigued with this supposedly dangerous children's story," Xelloss said. "While you're visiting with Mr. Osprey, I might just slip next door and pick up a copy, just to see what all the fuss is about."

 

Zelgadis gritted his teeth - and then realized this was exactly what Xelloss expected him to do. He forced a smile instead.

 

"Hmph. You would do that, wouldn't you, just to irritate me. My, my, Xelloss, have you really sunk so low?"

 

Xelloss drew back and stared at him in dismay. "Never mind how low I've sunk - have I really become so obvious?"

 

"Oh yes," Zelgadis chuckled. "Or maybe it's worse than that, and I've just gotten to know you far too well! Then again..."

 

He slid his hand from Xelloss' knee halfway up his thigh and gave a slight squeeze.

 

"Then again," he continued, "Sometimes you are very obvious. Last night, for example."

 

"I shall become rather obvious again soon, if you keep on in the direction you're going with that hand," Xelloss said cheerfully. "You still manage to surprise me from time to time, Zel-san. Your enthusiasm last night, for example."

 

"Oh, yes," Zelgadis said, "I find it quite easy to be enthusiastic when I can make you moan like that."

 

He sensed a shiver under his hand, and Xelloss' eyes fell half-closed. At the same time he seemed to shrink away a little, although he didn't move away physically. It was another one of those odd moments when Xelloss seemed almost wary of him.

 

Zelgadis split his thought and reached out on the astral level. It was a clumsy grope at first, going by feel as he always did. He still didn't have fine control of his astral body when he was trying to operate in both planes at once or when he was distracted by sensations on the physical plane. That was their excuse for using sexual encounters as his lessons. _If you can focus your mind enough to control your power while I'm doing this to you, you'll have no problem focusing during a battle,_ Xelloss had said once.

 

Zelgadis wished that were true, but so far he hadn't done nearly as well during their mock combat training. As much as he wanted to make practical use of his astral powers, he knew perfectly well that his only real motivation was to be able to touch Xelloss, to feel his spirit and arouse his desire.

 

Now, he focused just enough to brush the edge of Xelloss' spirit with his. Xelloss almost darted away, he thought, but then caught him and let him draw closer. At the same time, Zelgadis closed his fingers around the hardening shape under Xelloss' trousers.

 

Xelloss didn't make any audible sound, but he leaned closer, and Zelgadis felt a wordless thought like a moan in his mind. He'd closed his eyes so he could concentrate on sensation and astral senses, but he opened them again when he felt Xelloss' fingertip touch his lips and cheek.

 

"I take it," Xelloss murmured into his ear - Zelgadis didn't know when he'd gotten so close - "I take it you're not in any hurry to continue the quest for Skye this morning?"

 

The wind rattled the window, as if trying to remind Zelgadis of the world outside the cottage. Xelloss waited with that odd hesitancy in his touch and in his spirit.

 

Zelgadis fell back so that he could pull Xelloss down on top of him, and so that he could put more energy into his spirit while his body relaxed. His decision made his astral touch more firm. He felt Xelloss' energy surge toward him in response.

 

"No," he said, "I'm not in any hurry at all."

 

"Well, then," Xelloss sighed, "I guess I'm not either...."

 

\---

 

It was midway through morning when they finally left the cottage. Zelgadis smiled as he closed the door to the cottage, already looking forward to their return later. In the meanwhile, he might as well get the troublesome encounter in town over with. Depending on how well or how badly that went, he could decide whether to put more energy into the quest for Skye or whether to simply retreat back to this cottage and stay there indefinitely.

 

Xelloss stood at the crest of the hill where the lane started down from the point toward town. He'd been gazing across the bay, where a few small boats fought the choppy, grey waves rolling in from the sea, but he turned to Zelgadis with an arched brow.

 

"What's next?" he asked.

 

"Back to Mystport," Zelgadis said. That was all he was willing to say for the moment, even though Xelloss followed him with a curious frown.

 

While Xelloss kept an eye on the storm that was certainly approaching from the open sea, Zelgadis reconsidered the town. A lot of its charm was lost under the grey sky; it merely looked old and sea worn now. The colors of summer seemed to have been drained from the Eyrie valley, except for a splash of gold and white, a stand of birches that grew along a curve of the river inland from the town.

 

They walked in silence for awhile, a comfortable silence even though Zelgadis sensed Xelloss growing restless as they approached the town. Xelloss threw several curious glances his way, but he didn't ask where they were going and Zelgadis didn't offer any information. He sighed, hoping this wouldn't be quite as uncomfortable as he expected it to be.

 

Xelloss peered at him even more curiously when he heard the sigh. They crossed a footbridge that joined the point to the mainland of the town, but at the far end Zelgadis turned to the right instead of following the lane toward the shops.

 

"No," he said in response to Xelloss' frown. "I'm not going near that bookstore again! That's where we're going next." He fixed his gaze on a square building of grey stone directly ahead. "Where I probably should have gone in the first place, I suppose."

 

"Ah, I see," Xelloss said when he noticed the emblem over the door. "The Sorcerers' Guild! I should have guessed."

 

"Yes, well, it's really not much as Guild buildings go. It was originally an inn that was taken over by sorcerers who came here to search for Skye. Now it houses a small library for study and a Director's office. The current director happens to be an expert in a particular area of research related to Skye. It makes sense to speak to her before I go any further."

 

"Then why do you sound so unexcited at the prospect?" Xelloss asked.

 

"For one thing, Professor Herringull claims to have all but proved that the stories about Skye are nothing but myths. She doesn't believe it existed any more than you do."

 

"Really? How interesting!"

 

They climbed the wide flagstone steps and Zelgadis pushed the door open. Just before they entered the foyer, Zelgadis raised Xelloss' eyebrows again by throwing back his hood and dropping his scarf off his chin.

 

"I hope this proves informative," he muttered as an apprentice hurried out to greet them. "I have a feeling you're going to enjoy it a great deal more than I am."

 

Zelgadis tried to ignore the boy's round-eyed stare as he stated his name. When he asked to see the Director, the nodding apprentice chirped, "Right this way please!" even before he had finished speaking.

 

The boy led them almost at a run to the open door and ushered Zelgadis through it ahead of Xelloss. The room was lined with books, and the grey light outside filtered through half-closed curtains over tall windows. In the dim light, Zelgadis didn't notice the woman sitting at the worktable in the center of the room until she raised her head to look at him. He paused. From the way her eyes widened suddenly and the smile of wonder that grew on her face, he knew she must be Professor Herringull.

 

Xelloss stood just behind his shoulder, peering at her curiously. She barely spared him a glance. Her smile grew even wider when the apprentice announced Zelgadis by name.

 

"Zelgadis Greywords," she repeated musingly, still peering up at him. He gave her a small bow. "Sorcerer, Swordmaster... said to be the Grandson of Rezzo the Red Priest," she said, studying him as if checking fact against memorized data.

 

"I'm honored that you know of me, Professor Herringull," he said with a forced smile and a nod of his head.

 

She stood up and came around the table toward him, the curious gleam in her eyes seemed to contrast with the stately swirl of her white and grey Guildmaster robes. The top of her reddish-blonde head barely reached Zelgadis' shoulder, so even standing she was still looking up at him. Her eyes lit up with interest as she came closer, and her smile grew broader. She gestured to chairs in front of the worktable. With a glance at Xelloss, Zelgadis took one, and the priest settled stiffly into the other opposite him. Professor Herringull perched on the edge of the table between them, but she only looked at Zelgadis.

 

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Mr. Greywords," she said. "Your name is well known within the Sorcerers' Guild, and to me especially. After all, you're the most notable chimera since Zanaffar!"

 

Zelgadis somehow managed to do no more than blink in surprise, but Xelloss couldn't stifle his reaction. Professor Herringull turned and seemed to notice him for the first time.

 

"My traveling companion, Xelloss," Zelgadis said. He thought of adding "the trickster priest" as Xelloss' title, but he guessed even that would not be enough to deflect her interest away from him for more than a few seconds. Xelloss beamed his usual smile at her, but she barely acknowledged him before turning back to Zelgadis, just as he expected.

 

"Professor Herringull, as you probably guessed, I've come to Mystport to search for evidence of the Lost City..."

 

"There isn't any," she said absently. She tipped her head and seemed to be studying the shape of his ear as she continued. "Extensive research has shown that Skye could not have existed, there is no evidence of lost magical knowledge nor of a sunken city... " She trailed off.

 

"I'm aware that your research points to this conclusion," he said politely, trying not to squirm under her gaze. "Nevertheless, I'm sure you can understand that I'm interested in the evidence that you've gathered, and if possible I'd like to refer to your original sources...."

 

She didn't seem to be listening. Her lips were parted in a little smile of fascination as she leaned toward him. Her eyes sparkled with delight as they wandered from his wire hair to the tips of his long, pointed ears, to the stone chips in his blue skin - the delight of a scientist making a wonderful discovery.

 

Her eyes met his, smiling at him with unabashed curiosity.

 

"Marvelous," she said, almost breathlessly. Her eyes started to roam over his face again. "A seamless blend of such a unique and powerful combination," she added as if speaking to herself, "yet clearly the magical parts have not overcome the human aspect..."

 

"So very true!" Xelloss spoke up from behind her. Herringull blocked Zel's view of Xelloss, but Zelgadis could imagine the beaming grin on his face. "Just as I've said on numerous occasions, Zelgadis-san! Professor Herringull, I take it you have a particular interest in chimeras?"

 

"Magical hybridization is my main area of study," she replied absently.

 

Leaning closer, she reached a hand out toward Zelgadis' head. He drew back instinctively, and she paused with her fingers a hand's width from his hair.

 

"I'm sorry... May I?"

 

She didn't seem to expect him to say no. He didn't want to offend her, at least not until he'd found the information he came here for.

 

"Certainly," he managed to say without flinching. He forced another smile and tried not to let his jaw clench too visibly.

 

He could barely feel the touch of her fingers on his chin and cheek, following the stiff curve of his hair, tracing the shape of his ear to the very tip. But then, he'd hardly ever been aware of a person's touch except for Xelloss'. He'd hardly felt Rezzo's touch when he first examined his handiwork.

 

"Very impressive, Mr. Greywords," Herringull said. "It's a shame Rezzo is apparently no longer among us to continue this line of research."

 

"I suppose it is," he said carefully. Zelgadis didn't bother to mention that Rezzo's research in this area had been related to his desire to resurrect a Dark Lord, or that it was mainly the twisted genius of his assistant Eris that had created his chimera body.

 

"The golem body is very strong, I expect, and yet the form is distinctly human, with all the grace of movement of a human," she observed. She dropped her hand onto his where it rested on the arm of the chair. "I assume the brow demon aspect increases your magical capacity in equal measure to the golem's strength?"

 

She bent down to look at his hand more closely. Zelgadis suddenly had a startling view of Xelloss. The Mazoku priest leaned forward in his chair, glaring at the back of her head through narrowed eyes. Zelgadis was amazed that she couldn't feel the heat of his gaze on her neck.

 

The glimpse of Xelloss' face startled him into silence. Herringull raised her head, waiting for his answer, and blocked his view again.

 

"Word within the Guild says that you're a powerful sorcerer as well as a swordsman; isn't that correct?" she prompted.

 

She tipped her head a little, and once again Zelgadis could see Xelloss. The typical bland mask had returned to his face. Amused, Zelgadis caught the Mazoku's eye before he answered her.

 

"Yes, my magical capacity is much greater than it was," he said. "In fact, I've only recently begun to realize its full potential."

 

Xelloss smiled. "I can vouch for that," he said.

 

Professor Herringull turned to him with the first genuine interest she'd shown in him.

 

"Xelloss is well-versed in Shamanic magic, particularly astral magic," Zelgadis said, bending the truth just a little. "He's been helping me to develop my powers through his tutoring."

 

"I see," Herringull said. She gazed at Xelloss as if she had suddenly realized there was a valid reason for him to exist after all.

 

"Zelgadis-san, perhaps I misunderstood your purpose in coming here," Xelloss said. "Is there a connection between Professor Herringull's expertise in chimeras and your search for Skye, or is this just a happy coincidence?"

 

"There's a connection," Zelgadis said. "I thought you realized that."

 

"Oh?" Xelloss looked blank. Zelgadis had to wonder just how good an actor he could be, if he'd set Zelgadis on this search on purpose - or if he truly didn't have a clue.

 

"You really don't remember, do you? The story you told me that got me started on this quest in the first place? Surely you remember the story of Arin, the Hero King of the Hawk Folk, one of the seven Beast Tribes of Skye?"

 

Xelloss' brow wrinkled, while Herringull's gaze now shifted from Xelloss back to him curiously.

 

"It was Xelloss' rather unique version of that folktale that made me think of searching for Skye," he said to her. "I'm sure you know the story. It was only the passing mention of the Beast Tribes that supposedly originated in the Lost City that caught my interest," he said.

 

"Ah," Xelloss said, understanding the connection at last. "I don't remember telling you the tale, to be honest, but I remember the stories. The seven tribes of Beast People are said to have originated in Skye, created by lost methods of sorcery there. I should have realized your interest in Skye was so personal, Zelgadis. You hope that those sorcerers who may have created the first chimeras might also have known of a way to reverse the process."

 

Xelloss shook his head and sighed. "You are still searching earnestly for a cure after all? I must say I'm surprised."

 

Zelgadis stared at him, looking for hidden meanings in his words, but all he could hear was disappointment in the Mazoku's voice.

 

"So am I," Herringull broke in, looking at him with an odd smile. She seemed amused, but also, he thought, more sympathetic than she'd appeared before. "It seems to me that Rezzo gave you a great gift when he created this body for you."

 

Zelgadis gritted his teeth and tried not to reveal his revulsion for what Rezzo had done to him, in spite of all the strength and power it gave him.

 

"It was a gift that was unasked for, and although it answered a request that I made, giving me this form served Rezzo's own purposes, not mine. I would never have chosen to be this way."

 

She regarded him silently, with a small nod of her head. He doubted she could really understand, but he wasn't inclined to explain any further.

 

"I'm afraid your quest for a cure here is going to lead to disappointment," Herringull said. "It was my study of the Beast People and other magical hybrids that led to my interest in Skye as well. For ten years my partner and I searched for any evidence of a connection between the Seven Tribes, particularly the Hawk People of the Eyrie River, and the Lost City. There is absolutely no evidence of a lost city to begin with, and there is no evidence of a connection between Skye and the Beast People."

 

"Yes, I'm familiar with your research and your findings, Professor Herringull,"

Zelgadis said. "You discovered that most of the so-called Seven Tribes didn't exist back in those ancient times by tracing evidence of their migration from other areas, and in some cases even discovered the truth of their beginnings. Only the Hawk Tribe have been living in this area since ancient times, but their own legends claim they were made by particular gods of their own, not by human sorcerers."

 

"There's simply no explanation for their origin," Herringull said with a frown, as if something with no explanation shouldn't be allowed. "At least not that I've been able to discover yet."

 

"Absence of evidence that something existed doesn't prove that it didn't exist," Zelgadis said.

 

"Ah, now you sound like my partner," Herringull said with a wry grin. "Professor Plover has said the same thing many times. But even he admits that in most cases, claims that connect a tribe or a human family to the Lost City can be proven untrue. The local families that supposedly descended from sorcerers who escaped the destruction of Skye can also be traced back to their ancestors in other parts of the world. Almost none of them come from this area to begin with! Every story that seems to lead toward Skye ultimately leads away again, I'm afraid."

 

Zelgadis sighed. "I'm aware that your research has led to this conclusion. However, as you might have guessed by now, I'd like to ask you for your sources of information. I'd like to conduct my own research through the same sources."

 

She raised an eyebrow. "To confirm what I've found, or to challenge my conclusions?" she asked.

 

He bowed his head to acknowledge the impertinence of his request. "Only to determine if the same information is of any use to me personally," he said.

 

"I see," she said. She gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment. Zelgadis noticed that Xelloss sat quietly, his expression now carefully neutral.

 

"I can't really pinpoint my sources for you," Herringull said. "However, I can point you in the same direction my search took me. If you wish to learn all about the Hawk Tribe or the other Beast People in the area, I recommend you begin in Wyndcliff. It's a village to the south along the coast, quite isolated and very old. There are some ancient ruins, and an old temple there that might interest you as well. Beast People who claim ancient lineage live in the mountains around Wyndcliff. You'll also find the one remaining human family who might be able to trace its ancestry back to the days when Skye is supposed to have existed."

 

"The only one?" Xelloss asked.

 

"I'm afraid so, in spite of all that Professor Plover tried to prove otherwise." She sounded amused.

 

Zelgadis opened his mouth to ask the one remaining question he had, but she gave him the answer before he could speak.

 

"You might also want to talk to my partner - that is, my former partner, I should say. Professor Plover. I'm sure he'd enjoy meeting you and sharing his - information with you."

 

Zelgadis nodded, trying not to reveal his eagerness. Access to Plover was the only reason he'd been willing to come here and endure her study of him.

 

"I understood he's something of a recluse," he said cautiously.

 

"He keeps to himself, but he's not inaccessible, especially if someone is willing to listen to his theories. He lives in a cottage a few miles outside of Mystport, right on the coast. He still spends a lot of his time wandering the coastline, looking for signs of the Lost City. If you're lucky, you'll find him at home, but he's just as likely to be out wandering on the cliffs somewhere, hoping that the storm will wash up some piece of wreckage that's been buried under the sea for centuries."

 

Herringull shook her head with a wry smile touched with concern. "One of these winters he'll probably be swept away by a storm and not even notice," she continued quietly. "The fool."

 

She returned her attention to him and smiled, the sparkle returning to her eyes. "If you do happen to speak to him, tell him I sent you. He'll probably laugh."

 

She stood, and they stood also. She gave them directions to Plover's cottage while she led them to the door.

 

"Thank you for your information, Professor," Zelgadis said with a bow.

 

She smiled at them, looking more human and less scientist than she had since they'd arrived. "Plover may talk your ears off, but he probably won't be as rude as I've been. I appreciate your patience with my curiosity earlier," she said.

 

Zelgadis noticed that she smiled at Xelloss as she said this, a little apologetic smile. Perhaps she had felt that glare on the back of her neck, after all.

 

\---

 

Xelloss had given him a reproachful look as they followed Herringull's directions out of Mystport.

 

"I really didn't think you were still so intent on searching for a cure," he said. "I'm sorry to sound so peevish, but doesn't all that I've taught you mean anything?"

 

Zelgadis stifled a laugh. "Don't take it so personally, Xelloss. Searching for a cure is an old habit of mine. I'm not sure what I'll do if I ever actually find one, to tell the truth."

 

"Well, I can take comfort in the Professor's belief that you won't find anything at all here," Xelloss said. "I really did think you only came all this way to get as far as possible from Shimeria, and to avoid telling your friends that we're sleeping together!"

 

Zelgadis winced. Xelloss was actually right on both counts, but hearing it said like that made him feel extremely foolish.

 

"Just remember, it's your own fault for telling me that story in the first place," he said.

 

"But I really don't remember telling you that at all! I was rather preoccupied at the time, you know. I suppose I dredged up anything in my mind that I thought would keep your interest so that you'd stay put for the night. Unfortunately, back then I didn't know there were other, much better ways to distract you."

 

Zelgadis didn't have any reply to that except for a slight blush. Xelloss grinned.

 

He decided he might as well believe Xelloss, this time. Unlikely as it seemed, the Trickster Priest was just along for the ride on this adventure. That was a comforting thought, in a way, but unfortunately, knowing this took some of the wind out of his sails as well. If Xelloss didn't have some secret reason for wanting him to search for Skye, he had one less reason to hope the legends might actually be true. Professor Herringull's research was actually quite convincing, after all.

 

"Well, I already knew what Herringull thinks of the whole matter," he said, thinking out loud. "All I really wanted from her was directions to Professor Plover. I hope his information will be more encouraging."

 

"If he hasn't already been washed away by the tide," Xelloss added unhelpfully.

 

The trail that led to Plover's cottage gave them a spectacular view of the steep coast, where high waves crashed dramatically against jagged rocks that had fallen from the cliffs long ago. Cedars and wild roses stubbornly resisted the wind that tried to tug them out of the rocky sand.

 

A mile or so out of town, halfway to Plover's cottage, they looked down through a screen of stunted bushes and sea grass to see a hidden cove. It was just a short stretch of sand between rocky arms with a short cliff at the back. Chunks of the same jagged grey rock rose out of the sand with tidal pools carved around their bases. Waves broke higher on the sand each time they caught a glimpse of this little beach, although they hadn't yet reached as high as the line of seaweed and driftwood left by the last high tide that morning. The incoming tide would probably reach higher. Zelgadis guessed that when the storm hit, the entire cove would become a frothing bowl of waves.

 

A fishing boat rocked in the rough sea beyond the cove. At first Zelgadis thought it was skirting the coast on its way to harbor, but when he got a better look at it a moment later, he realized that its prow pointed toward shore. Riding the storm wind and the tide, it was coming in fast.

 

He paused and peered out between the ragged cedar trunks. "I think that boat is in trouble," he said.

 

Xelloss followed his gaze. His eyes narrowed, and a second later he smiled.

 

"Well, it may be in for a rough ride to shore, but I'm quite certain it's landing where it means to land," he said.

 

"What do you mean? Why would a fishing boat want to come ashore in a tiny little cove like this, miles from town, unless it was in trouble?"

 

"Because, if my guess is right, it's not carrying fish in its hold at all. It's carrying a much more precious cargo! How appropriate for the Princess to make such a secretive, dramatic arrival!"

 

Zelgadis stared at him a second more before it sank in.

 

"That book!" he huffed in disgust. He took another look at the boat. From this distance he couldn't see the faces of the three figures on deck, but as far as he could tell, Xelloss was right. They were going about their business with an eye on the approaching shore, but they didn't seem alarmed.

 

"Well, good luck to them, then," he said dismissively. He turned away. "I won't worry about them making it ashore!"

 

"Did you think you might have to rescue them? How heroic, Zelgadis-san!" Xelloss said as they started along the path again. "That would have been worthy of a chapter in a storybook! You see, you really should write your memoirs."

 

Zelgadis glanced at him. "If I did, it would have to be sold under the counter in a plain brown wrapper," he said.

 

Xelloss' eyebrows shot upward, then he smirked. "So it would!"

 

Xelloss stopped suddenly. Zelgadis saw with surprise that his eyes were opened, staring ahead as if he sensed something that had startled him. Zelgadis felt it a second later: an aura of mingled cold hatred and anticipation, like a battle-lust, but with all the joy and none of the rage.

 

He opened his eyes quickly, gripping his sword hilt and looking around for the source of the feeling. Xelloss was staring out at sea again through a gap in the trees - no, he was looking down at the cove that was nearly beneath their feet now. Zelgadis caught his breath when he saw furtive movement in the shadows of the tall stones.

 

"What...?" he said softly.

 

His sharp ears couldn't catch the sound of them over the wind and the surf, but he saw another flicker of movement as one man signaled and called to another, who turned and signaled again toward the back of the cove. Both men wore dark grey cloaks and hoods to blend with the rocks, but something brighter flickered on their arms and at their throats.

 

Zelgadis realized that some of the blood lust he was sensing came from Xelloss.

 

A man stepped into view almost directly below them, out of some hidden place at the back of the cove. He was clad all in dark robes like the others, but he raised a great bow. The tip of his arrow burned like a torch. More torchlight flickered in the rock shadows; half a dozen archers had appeared from under the bluff he and Xelloss stood on, and all aimed their flaming arrows at the approaching boat.

 

"Book burners!" Zelgadis realized as the first archer let the flaming arrow fly. Another arrow appeared in the air beside the first, shot by an archer they couldn't see. A heartbeat later a third one followed. The flames raced toward the boat like shooting stars over the grey sea, while the archer in view quickly readied another.

 

The small crew of sailors would have their hands full guiding the boat between the rocks safely, even without trying to fight fire as well. Zelgadis didn't care if the boatload of books sank or burned, but the men didn't deserve to pay that price. He raised his hands and began to chant.

 

He guessed the bowmen were skilled enough to have taken the sea wind into account; in fact, without that wind, all the arrows would overshoot their mark easily. All he had to do was shift the wind for a second or two. He cast his spell, and flaming arrows shot over the heads of the startled sailors and fell harmlessly into the water.

 

Zelgadis gripped his sword hilt again and began another tentative chant at the same time, trying to think of a way to subdue all the archers at once. Several more had appeared from behind the rocks and had lit their arrows, while others stood between them holding swords.

 

Zelgadis saw that the first man had turned to scan the cliff. He suddenly realized they were exposed to view. Xelloss stood to his left in the gap between the stunted trees, glaring down at the bowman. Not only that, but he was grinning like an overgrown child. While the man below gave a shout, he wagged his fingers beside his ears in the universal sign for "come and get me, suckers!" The men by the rocks got the message loud and clear, even before Xelloss actually stuck his tongue out at them. Zelgadis broke off his chant in mid-word.

 

"Xelloss!" he roared. "What the hell are you doing?"

 

He glanced down. The first man signaled to the others and shouted loud enough for him to hear, but the words were garbled by the wind. Four archers remained in position to target the boat. The rest turned to aim their bows at him and Xelloss.

 

"Shield us while I protect the boat," he barked at Xelloss. He abandoned the chant he'd started for a simpler one aimed at the four archers.

 

"It would be much simpler to kill them all at once," Xelloss replied calmly.

 

"They're just ignorant book-burners, why bother?" Zelgadis snapped.

 

Glancing aside, he was shocked to see Xelloss smiling down at them with his inhuman eyes wide open.

 

"Look more carefully, Zelgadis," Xelloss said. "They are more than simple-minded burners of books."

 

"What?" Zelgadis turned toward the men below with a feeling of dread creeping up the back of his neck. The feeling had been there all along, he realized. He'd just managed to ignore it.

 

The two leaders now stood out in plain view. The wind whipped their long, dark grey robes around their legs, and their hoods were thrown back. He could almost see the maniacal light in their eyes, but it was their grinning mouths that made his heart clench. One of them raised a sword from under his robes, and as he did, the gem on his wrist sparkled as if it held a light of its own. He saw the grinning mouth form two words that he didn't need to hear. But then he realized that the old chant had changed.

 

"Die, Chimera!"

 

"Damn! They're Soldiers of Shimer!" Zelgadis said.

 

Several things happened nearly all at once. The archers released their flaming arrows aimed at the boat, and at the same instant Zelgadis released his spell. The wind obeyed his command; the arrows split apart and plunged into the waves on either side of the boat's prow. He barely had a glimpse of the startled men on deck, who ducked first and then leaned forward to try to see what was happening on shore.

 

At the same time, Xelloss had raised his hand and muttered a couple of sounds that didn't seem like words at all, then flung his hands open at the archers who had turned to aim at them. Most of them had notched flaming arrows into their bowstrings, and those flames exploded backwards to engulf the smiling archers. The cove lit up as the men became pillars of fire that reached higher than the tall stones.

 

One man's arrow wasn't tipped with flame and wasn't affected by Xelloss' spell. By a trick of the wind Zelgadis heard the twang of the bow as clearly as if he was standing next to it. His own spell had hardly left his fingertips at that moment, so he didn't notice the whistling sound the arrow made in the air; and then his eye had been caught by the men on the prow of the boat, so he hardly heard Xelloss shout near his left shoulder.

 

Something hit his arm, and at first he thought it was Xelloss trying to knock him aside. That would be foolish, his thought flashed; he was in no danger from an ordinary arrow. Then pain shattered his thoughts, and he looked down, confused to see the feathered shaft sticking out of his arm just below his shoulder.

 

A surge of anger, hatred, raw fury washed over him. Not his own. Xelloss shoved him backward and he stumbled to his knees, clutching his arm.

 

"Damn it," he muttered through clenched teeth. Xelloss stood in front of him, blocking his view. He closed his mind to the pain and started to climb to his feet.

 

By the time he managed to stand and step forward, the cove was empty of life. Sand and sea spray blew into his face, carrying the bitter tang of burnt flesh and bone. The fishing boat rocked on the waves and wind gusts shook the bushes, but stillness seemed to have fallen in the space where he stood next to Xelloss.

 

Blood trickled over his fingers where he clutched his arm; the pain increased with every heartbeat. Seeing the gleam of satisfaction in Xelloss' eyes, Zelgadis thought the honeymoon just might be over.

 

\---

To be continued...

Next: another change of plan, and a startling revelation....


	6. The Princess Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the attack of the book burners, there's another change of plans, and then Xelloss and Zelgadis discover the shocking truth behind The Princess of Fate!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally written and posted December 2005

 

_"A Monster simply can't go against the orders of its superior," the Sorcerer said thoughtfully. "Not unless something very strange has happened to it, some spell that I can't even imagine. Not even the strongest magic I know could cause a Monster to rebel against its Master."_

 

_"Maybe there's something stronger than your strongest magic," the handsome Swordsman said, scratching his head in a puzzled way._

 

_The Sorcerer laughed at him, just as she always did. "What force in the world could be stronger than that?" she said, slapping him on the back. But she seemed a little worried that for once, he might be right._

 

\--- From _Book 5: The Princess of Fate and the Deceptive Dragon_

 

***

 

Xelloss stood still, gazing down at the cove, or out at the sea; his eyes were hidden behind the hair that the wind had blown into his face. Zelgadis could only see his frown.

 

"I suppose I should have left one of them alive to question, in case there's another squadron..." Xelloss murmured. Then he shrugged and turned his back on the cove.

 

Zelgadis clutched the arrow shaft and grimaced. More than metal pierced his flesh. He suddenly thought of a smiling, apologetic little man who had sliced his stone skin with a jewel-edged blade, and then of a grinning madman holding a spear pointed at his heart. Zuller's spear had been enchanted so that it could pierce the stone flesh of a rock golem, but there had been another spell on it as well, one that had cut into his brow-demon spirit so that he couldn't use magic to heal himself. Like that spear, this arrow had been designed specifically for him.

 

His breath caught in his chest from something deeper than mere pain. Disappointment and fury filled his heart. He gathered it all in his mind and thrust it at Xelloss. The Mazoku's mouth twitched.

 

"You knew," Zelgadis said through clenched teeth. "You knew they'd be here. You expected this. And they expected to find us!"

 

Xelloss turned to him. He regarded Zelgadis with his head slightly tipped to the side.

 

"I didn't know they'd be _here_ , exactly, although I suspected they were the fanatics who were burning books up and down the coast. They seem the type, don't you think?"

 

Zelgadis glared at him. Xelloss sighed.

 

"You shouldn't be so surprised, Zelgadis. The fact that there were Relics, even weak ones, being worn on the streets of Mystport was a sure sign that the influence of the Followers had reached this far. I know perfectly well that you meant to avoid any contact with Shimerians by coming all this way, but you didn't consider the fact that Mystport is a thriving port town on the coastal shipping routes. While it's several weeks of difficult travel overland from Shimeria to here, it's not all that long a journey across to Ralteague and down the coast by ship.

 

"Followers and Soldiers of Shimer had already spread far and wide before you destroyed their Shrine, Zel-san. I'm afraid you should have realized that we had nearly as good a chance of meeting up with them on the coast as if we'd stayed in Seyruun in the first place. They could not have expected to find us here, but obviously they are prepared to hunt the infamous Mazoku and Chimera anywhere they go. They must have been thrilled to see us."

 

Zelgadis closed his eyes, gritting his teeth against the truth of this even more than against the pain in his shoulder. His arm was numb to the fingers and weakness was climbing into his chest and up his neck.

 

Being more aware of his astral body only meant that he could feel the damage searing through it. He tried to think of a way to stop it from spreading. The pain distracted him, and the only thing he could think of to do was to copy his motion on the physical plane and grip the wounded part. That meant touching his own spirit form in a way he'd never done before,and didn't want to do now, because it meant seeing it as it really was.

 

He grimaced as he focused his mental vision on the astral side, on himself. At least a rock golem had a basically human form, but the astral form of a brow demon was even more inhuman than its notoriously hideous physical shape. Its sinuous claw - his own hand in astral form - wrapped around the wounded, silver-scaled appendage that didn't even seem to be an arm. The limb slithered as if shrinking from his own touch, and even seemed to change shape in response to his reluctance to see it.

 

Still, it seemed to work; he found he could twist his grip like a tourniquet enough to slow the spread of the poisonous spell. That left him free to deal with the arrow itself. Using what Xelloss had taught him, he returned as much of his attention as he could spare to the physical plane.

 

The tip had not passed all the way through his arm. He would have to break the shaft and push it through before he could begin to heal. He wouldn't be able to concentrate through the pain on holding the astral spell at bay while he did this, either. He just had to hope that the enchantment wouldn't work after the arrow was removed.

 

"They were prepared to meet us..." he said a snarl, trying to use his anger to focus and distract himself from the pain. Clenching his eyes shut, he tightened his grip on the shaft.

 

His eyes flew open again as Xelloss stepped in front of him and closed his fist around the arrow. Before Zelgadis could move, the entire thing dissolved and vanished. He cried out as a blast of flame seemed to shoot through his arm and chest from the wound, but a second later that vanished as well. The spell that had affected his astral body was simply gone. All that was left was a jagged, bleeding hole in his flesh. Gritting his teeth again, he raised his good hand over it and started Recovery.

 

Xelloss stepped back and nodded briefly. "Their enchanted weapons still have quite a lot of power, unfortunately. They'd only be suicidal to come after us if they didn't, I suppose."

 

He was gazing down at the ground near Zelgadis' feet. Zel's eyes flew wide and his healing spell faltered. Another arrow shaft quivered there, next to his feet where Xelloss had been standing. He peered at it more intently and studied it with his extra senses as well. Like fading wisps of smoke, twisted magic clung to the shaft.

 

"That's...?"

 

"A variation of the Keepers' Spell, a weak attempt to recreate the Curse of Shimer," Xelloss nodded. "Not very effective, still, but it seems they've been experimenting. Anyway, they missed! My, my," he sighed, shaking his head. "Who thought they would still be such a bother?"

 

Zelgadis glared at the arrow, suddenly furious. "You should be hunting down the Keepers instead of following me around," Zelgadis said. "I thought they were only a nuisance, not a real threat."

 

"True, but there are others engaged in that task," Xelloss said. "For all I know, they've already been successful! This lot might just be fortunate enough to have some of the better weapons that were left when the rest were destroyed."

 

"Do you really think so?" Zelgadis said skeptically.

 

"I don't know. It's not really my job to worry about those details."

 

"Really? What is your job, then?" Zelgadis couldn't help but ask.

 

Xelloss' eyes shifted away. Zelgadis had hoped it was a simple question, but remembering how Xelloss had taunted the Soldiers made him suspect it wasn't.

 

"Well, as you know, part of my job is to protect you!" Xelloss said brightly, but he rubbed the back of his neck quickly as he spoke. "And, of course, I'm to make sure you don't brag about what you did..."

 

"Never mind that," Zelgadis said. "There's more to it, isn't there?"

 

"Well, since you've asked... " Xelloss shrugged again. "Of course, if I should meet any Soldiers of Shimer, or any of the more fanatical Followers for that matter, I'm under standing orders to destroy them. Just as you would expect!"

 

"Of course. And if you can lure them out by jumping up and down in front of them and making us both an irresistible target, all the better, I take it? That seems to be a bit at odds with the task of being my bodyguard, doesn't it?" he snapped.

 

Xelloss paused. He frowned at the wound Zelgadis was still in the process of healing.

 

"I hadn't thought of it that way," he said quietly.

 

Zelgadis watched his eyes travel from the wound to a place a few inches to the right. He suddenly realized that he really had felt Xelloss push him aside. If he hadn't, the arrow would have gone straight into his heart.

 

"Still," Xelloss went on thoughtfully, staring at his chest. "All Mazoku are under the same standing orders to destroy Soldiers of Shimer at every opportunity, but my primary duties require that I follow you around wherever you happen to go, Zelgadis-san. It was your own idea to come to the coast."

 

His eyes flickered with an odd light before he turned to sweep his gaze out to sea and along the coast. When he spoke again Zelgadis thought his voice sounded strange, unless it was just that he was speaking into the wind.

 

"If, as it should happen, you decide to go somewhere else - some place even more isolated, for instance, where Soldiers of Shimer are less likely to be found - well, of course, I can't suggest such a thing to you. I'd be shirking my own duty if I did so. But it wouldn't be my fault that I had to follow you there."

 

Zelgadis stared at him. Xelloss turned again, avoiding his gaze. Zelgadis looked down at the enchanted arrow stuck in the ground between their feet.

 

A moment ago he'd thought that everything had changed between them, just as he'd expected it to when some event caused the Mazoku's true nature to surface. But it was not in a Mazoku's nature to even consider going against any part of his orders. It finally sunk in that Xelloss had just saved his life again, and now seemed to be offering him a choice that Xelloss himself couldn't make.

 

The Recovery spell had done enough. His shoulder was still a little stiff, but that would take care of itself. He flexed it as he knelt down and grasped the arrow with his healed left hand. The Keepers' spell clutched at him weakly, but it was no match for the force of his own will. He didn't know what Xelloss had done to dissolve the arrow in his arm, so he made up something of his own on the spot.

 

Muttering a few words, he let loose a blast of magical energy powered by the sharp mixture of emotions that had sprung up inside him in the last few minutes. A second later his hand was empty. An odd little glassy hole in the path, where the force of his spell had melted the sand, would be the only evidence of the entire battle.

 

"Let's get back into town - before that boat docks and madness hits the streets!" Zelgadis said.

 

"To town?" Xelloss turned and looked down at him, startled. "What about the elusive Professor Plover?"

 

"I'll.... come back and search for him another time. I've decided to follow Herringull's other bit of advice instead." He smiled grimly up at Xelloss. "I'm going to visit Osprey's again and see if this Wyndcliff village is even on a map," he said.

 

He stood up. Slowly, Xelloss smiled.

 

They both turned to look down at the cove one more time. The fishing boat that held no fish had nearly reached the shore. Zelgadis drew back and pulled Xelloss behind the bushes with him when he realized the men on deck were shouting and waving up at them.

 

"I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to try to explain all this to them," he said quickly. "Let's go."

 

\---

 

In spite of what he'd said, Xelloss hadn't really expected Zelgadis to change his plans on the spot and leave Mystport immediately. He followed Zelgadis along the path back toward town at a quick pace with his thoughts spinning even more quickly. Since when did the stubborn chimera follow his advice, anyway? Only since Xelloss started giving advice for his own reasons, of course.

 

No, that wasn't advice. He was just - making an observation, that was all. Describing a hypothetical situation, discussing his priorities...

 

Making us a target to lure out the Soldiers is a bit at odds with the task of being my bodyguard, isn't it?

 

The satisfaction he felt from destroying the Soldiers had evaporated in an instant when he'd heard those words. He hadn't realized how impossibly conflicted his priorities were until that moment.

 

That was why Zelgadis was standing there with an arrow sticking out of his arm, he had suddenly realized. So anxious to fulfill the most neglected part of his duty, Xelloss had only listened to his own battle lust, not to Zelgadis' instruction to shield them. The glittering tip of the arrow flying straight toward Zelgadis had reminded him that their weapons were still a real threat to the chimera's stoney hide, but even then, he hadn't realized that it was his own actions that had put Zelgadis at risk. In fulfilling one part of his duty, he'd nearly failed at another.

 

Even so, negligent stupidity was one thing. Giving advice that deliberately put one of his duties ahead of another was something else entirely. He should be able to align his priorities better than that. But if Zelgadis left Mystport and headed off into the wilderness again, he wouldn't get the chance.

 

It probably would have happened anyway, he told himself. Zelgadis had been unsettled ever since they'd arrived in town; he only needed the slightest excuse to get away from people. As they passed the docks where fishermen unloaded their catch of the day and prepared their boats for the approaching storm, he sensed Zelgadis' tension increase, even though the busy fisherman and sailors barely glanced at the two of them.

 

Watching them work, Xelloss wondered if one of these boats had also brought the squadron of Soldiers into Mystport that morning, or if they had been here all along. The thought that there might be more Soldiers in town irked him, now that he thought about it. It was his own fault for letting himself get so distracted this morning, instead of keeping watch for Uncle Ned's ship.

 

In fact, Xelloss thought, nearly every choice he'd made this day seemed questionable now. But that was only to be expected if he was foolish enough to start doing things for reasons of his own. Thinking that, he felt nearly as flustered with himself as Zelgadis did with the people in town, at least until they left the docks behind and sped up Merchants Row. Once they came in sight of Osprey's shop, Zel's agitation increased dramatically.

 

"It seems that the secret arrival is not quite so secret," Xelloss observed casually. He wasn't surprised that Zelgadis didn't even acknowledge his comment. His chimera was too busy trying to act invisible.

 

A crowd had already gathered near Gosling's bookstore, but they weren't lined up at the door and oblivious to all else this time. Instead, people milled around in groups, watching the shop and the street while they talked. Some children chased each other around between the others, swinging sticks like swords and casting make-believe spells at each other, apparently acting out a scene from the story. Others in the crowd seemed to be on the lookout for any new arrivals, and many heads turned toward Zelgadis and him as they came up the street.

 

Zelgadis shrank within his hood and hurried past, not meeting their eyes. Xelloss ducked his head as well, but he watched them from the corner of his eyes and frowned. Too many seemed to find their appearance interesting and turned to whisper to their companions. They couldn't know anything of the incident in the cove yet, but Xelloss wondered just how far and how fast the story of the priest and the chimera had spread from Shimer's Followers. If two young girls in town had heard the tale, it was likely that many others knew it just as well, even if they didn't realize the Followers of Shimer were the same ones who wanted to burn their beloved book.

 

Zelgadis sped past them and Xelloss followed at his heels until they were at the door of Osprey's map shop. The clerk they'd met the day before stood inside, peering out the window. A younger, thinner man stood next to him, fidgeting with some kind of amulet on a leather cord around his neck. Zelgadis stopped short and glared at him. Xelloss hardly spared it a glance; there was no magical aura at all from the amulet, whatever it was supposed to be. He saw Zelgadis breathe an impatient sigh of relief when he realized this as well.

 

Just as before, the clerk ignored them as they approached. He turned to his friend instead.

 

"You'd better get over there, Petey," he said in a harsh whisper, with a quick glance over his shoulder toward the interior of the shop. "Old man Osprey isn't going to let me go, damn it! Go on, go get a spot near the door, quick!"

 

"There's no sign of the shipment yet," Petey stammered. "Might just be a rumor, y'know, Warren."

 

"Petey, you know that ship is due in today. It's got to get here before that storm hits," the clerk insisted. "Go on, go!

 

"All right, all right," the younger man said. " S'pose you're right. I hate crowds," he shuddered, gripping his amulet tight within his fist.

 

"Excuse me," Zelgadis said, very testily. Of course this was lost on Warren the clerk, who only glanced at him long enough to see that it wasn't his boss who had spoken.

 

"Old... er, Mr. Osprey's in back, if you want him," Warren said irritably, with a jerk of his thumb over his shoulder. Xelloss guessed this was a standard reply; he doubted that the clerk remembered them from the day before.

 

"Thank you," Zelgadis said through clenched teeth, and stalked away.

 

Xelloss was about to follow when the clerk's friend turned around, muttering under his breath. Petey stopped short when he caught sight first of Zelgadis walking away and then of Xelloss. He looked from one to the other of them, then gave Xelloss a long look up and down and grinned broadly. Xelloss blinked in surprise; that didn't seem to be the reaction of someone who had heard the tale from Shimeria. It wasn't the mindless, idiotic smile of a Follower of Shimer, although it was idiotic enough. Not knowing what else to do, Xelloss smiled at him.

 

Petey blanched and then blushed beet red, apparently shocked to realize he'd made eye contact with a stranger. He ducked his head and scampered past Xelloss like a mouse past a cat. A second later, Warren suddenly noticed Petey was gone from his side.

 

"Hey, Petey! Wait!" He waved a slip of paper in the air as he chased Petey out the door, passing Xelloss without a glance. "Wait! You have to get my copy, too!"

 

Xelloss blinked after them. He decided that the Princess had attracted some very odd followers. Shaking his head, he turned to follow Zelgadis in search of Osprey.

 

He saw a man who must be the shopkeeper near the back of the room, leaning forward and facing Zelgadis with his hands flat on the counter between them. He was a small man with hunched shoulders and ink-stained fingers, and only a few remaining tufts of white hair floating around the back of his head, but his eyes were sharp and a bit wary as he listened to Zelgadis' quickly muttered questions. Xelloss wasn't surprised to hear Zelgadis ask first about the mapmaker's knowledge of the Lost City. He wondered if an ecouraging answer would prompt Zel to change his plans yet again.

 

"Ah, yes, the old _Skye Expeditions_ ," Osprey said, nodding. He seemed very pleased that anyone would ask about the book, and any suspicions he might have had about his veiled and hooded customer disappeared. "Well, yes, I did have some unique charts and such, but," he gave a little chuckle, "it's been a bit of a disappointment, you know. When the Barrier disappeared and ships went out onto the open sea again, things weren't quite what we expected them to be. We've had to make new maps since then, you see. Either things have changed out in the wide world since the Barrier was made, or those old charts were never right to begin with. Sorry to say..."

 

Xelloss felt Zelgadis' inevitable wave of disappointment. He frowned in sympathy as he came up to the counter.

 

"Oh dear," he said. "Do you mean to say the old maps that indicated the location of the Lost City are useless now?"

 

"I'm afraid they're worse than useless," Osprey said, although he seemed quite cheerful about it. "They'll lead a sailor right onto rocks and shoals, islands out there were we never knew there were any, currents that'll take a ship miles off course!" He shook his head, but his look of regret was unconvincing. "We've been busy all this summer making new maps and charts for the far reaches. There'll be new shipping lanes opening up out there, once we chart the currents. As soon as I can get to it, I plan to publish an updated edition of _The Skye Expeditions_." He looked positively gleeful at the thought.

 

"So you see, you're just a little ahead of me, sir!" Osprey continued to Zelgadis. "Not that there's much interest in Skye these days, sad to say. Professor Herringull's reports have made everyone a bit shy about searching for the Lost City. Nobody wants to look like they believe in something that's just an old fairy tale!"

 

Xelloss couldn't help but enjoy the wave of frustration and disappointment that hit Zelgadis. However, it sounded like they would still be leaving town soon, unless the mapmaker failed in that regard as well. He nudged Zel's arm as he caught Osprey's eye.

 

"Are your maps of the coast up to date, Mr. Osprey? Or do they have to be changed as well?"

 

"Oh, no, the coastline hasn't changed much in the last thousand years or so!" Osprey chuckled. "The storms take a little away some years, the sea puts it back somewhere else. The dunes above State's Line grow an inch or so every winter, it seems, and the South Beach Sandbar gets a little longer, but all in all..."

 

"Then you have maps of the coast to the south," Zelgadis interrupted. "I'm interested in visiting the village of Wyndcliff. Is it difficult to find?"

 

"Well," Osprey said, pausing to frown a little. "Well, it's right on the coast, but the only road I know of takes you inland a ways before branching off to the village. People from the village still find their way down to town now and then; you can always recognize one of them by the funny, old-fashioned way they dress and talk. Even some of those beast-folk live up there; you see one of them in town once in a great while. But not many from town go up to the village. Wyndcliff," he mused. "I guess it'd be on a map, or at least the old track up toward it might be."

 

"Is it so very isolated as that?" Xelloss asked.

 

"Yes, it's well off the beaten path, I'd say, but the folks that live there don't seem to mind that. They're a bit backward in the ways of the world. They do great healing in the temple there, from what I've heard, or did in the old days; but it's such a queer old place, most folks would want to be in a pretty bad way before they'd go all the way up there."

 

"Hasn't it been connected with the Lost City in some way?" Zelgadis asked. "I heard there's one of the old families living there that might be descended from the Sorcerers of Skye."

 

"Oh, yes, I've heard that too," Osprey said, nodding. He sounded amused, as if they were talking about some old, quaint belief, like the tooth fairy. "The Asmalath family, that would be, that once gave birth to some of the most famous sorcerers in the area. No one's seen any great sorcery from them since at least my grandmother's day. Then again, you don't hear much from Wyndcliff these days at all, to be honest."

 

Zelgadis glanced at Xelloss, mingled frustration and curiosity on his veiled face. Xelloss only shrugged. He'd already given more advice than he should have.

 

"Well, as odd and backward as it may be, I'd like to visit the place," Zelgadis said to Osprey. "Do you have directions or a map that will take us there without getting us lost in the wilderness?"

 

"Oh, you'll do better with one of our maps, that's certain," Osprey said cheerfully. "Let's see, now. Right over here, I believe..."

 

He hobbled out from behind the counter, steadying himself with one hand on something at every step; his shoulders were so bent and stiff that he had to turn his head to the side to look up at the higher shelves. Zelgadis followed him while Xelloss lounged against the counter and waited.

 

While Osprey rummaged among stacks of papers, scrolls and books, Xelloss heard the door open and then heard the clerk's hushed, excited voice. He realized Petey must have returned, and from his level of excitement, the books must have arrived as well. He stepped closer to listen.

 

"Yeah, the ship is in! But listen!"

 

"Oh, at last!" Warren sounded like he might swoon with joy; Xelloss fought the urge to duck as a wave of pure bliss washed over him from the clerk.

 

"Wait, wait! I have to tell you what I heard! It's incredible!"

 

Xelloss frowned and took a step closer, peering at the clerk and his friend through stacks of rolled parchment. He kept half his attention on Zelgadis and the mapmaker while he listened to Petey's tale.

 

"It was just like a scene from the book!" Petey began. "A band of book burners appeared out of nowhere right as the ship was coming in, down in that little cove south of town. They attacked the boat! Flaming arrows, swords, spells, everything! The crew of the boat thought they were going to be burned alive and drowned along with the books!"

 

The clerk gasped, speechless at the horror of it.

 

"They didn't...?" he said, clutching Petey's arms. "The books? They didn't burn?"

 

Petey shook his head and grinned. "They were saved! Two mysterious guys just appeared and saved the day, casting spells and blasting them all to bits! Just like the heroes from the book! I swear, that's what I heard!"

 

The clerk gaped at him. "Really? So, all the books are safe!"

 

"Of course, Warren, you're holding your copy right there in your own hands, aren't you?" Petey said impatiently. "You're missing the point! Don't you see? Those guys! Those two guys who were here a minute ago!"

 

Warren blinked. "What two guys? You mean that customer who came in here? What about him?"

 

"Warren, you need new glasses," Petey said. "Listen... I think they were the ones who saved the boat! They're dressed just like them!"

 

Xelloss jumped back. He was startled to hear that such an accurate description of the rescuers had flown so far in so short a time, and even more startled that Petey's eyes were so sharp.

 

As amusing as it might be to see the reactions of the crowd, Zelgadis was right; it would be difficult to explain how they'd happened to be there to destroy a whole squadron of book burners. It could get a little complicated if some of those book burners were actually local residents, as he suspected they were. He knew Zelgadis wouldn't welcome the attention. As unsettled as Xelloss felt at the moment, he wasn't sure he wanted it, either.

 

He turned quickly to find Zelgadis hunched over a map. Osprey's cramped fingers pointed to a dot along the wavy line of the coast.

 

"That'd be it, about there," Osprey said.

 

"Hmm," Zelgadis said. "This looks like a very old map; don't you have anything more recent?"

 

"I think this will do just fine," Xelloss said quickly in his ear. He already had a coin out of his purse to hand to Osprey.

 

Zelgadis looked up at him, startled. Xelloss bent his head down and spoke quietly in his ear.

 

"The books have arrived, and apparently, so has the story of our daring rescue, along with a surprisingly clear description of the rescuers. We're famous all over again!" He grinned.

 

Zelgadis gaped at him for a second, and then, Xelloss knew, his sharp ears heard the clerk's testy voice.

 

"Petey, I swear there was only the one guy, but he's probably still back there with old - Mr. Osprey. Go ask him about it if you think he's some sword-swinging hero, but just let me read my book in peace!"

 

"Damn!" Zelgadis muttered. He grabbed the map and started rolling it up, while Xelloss pressed his gold pieces into Osprey's hand. But Osprey had heard his clerk's voice as well, if not his words.

 

"Warren, quit your chattering and get back to work!" he barked with surprising volume. "You can read your story book later. Right now you're supposed to be clearing out those shelves. Get at it, boy!"

 

Xelloss sensed Warren's frustration and felt Petey wince in fright. Osprey hobbled around the corner to glare at his clerk. Xelloss peeked between the shelves in time to see Warren quickly stuff his treasured book out of sight near the window. Petey sidled away, one hand clinging to his copy, the other clutching his amulet for dear life.

 

"Just having a quick word, here, Mr. Osprey," Warren said quickly. "Petey's just leaving," he added unnecessarily since Petey was already out the door.

 

"Good!" Osprey said. "Well, go on, back to those shelves, then!"

 

"Yes, sir," Warren mumbled. He slunk away to a far corner of the shop, with a nervous glance at the place where his book was hidden. Osprey watched him all the way, and only turned back to his customers when the clerk finally crouched down and began to pull boxes off the shelf in question.

 

"Can't get any work out of him with his mind in that fairy tale all the time. He used to be a smart boy, but lately...." Osprey muttered, shaking his head. He didn't seem to notice that his customers had ducked back out of sight behind the shelves. Zelgadis puffed a sigh of relief when both Warren and Petey were safely out of view.

 

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Osprey," Zelgadis said.

 

"Yes, we'd best be on our way now," Xelloss added with a wave and a smile.

 

Warren was too busy muttering and slamming boxes around to take any notice of them as they hurried toward the door. Zelgadis adjusted his scarf and hood more closely around his face. Xelloss didn't bother to point out this probably wouldn't help them get through the crowd unnoticed.

 

Zelgadis paused to peer out the window. Over his shoulder, Xelloss saw that people were now clustered around the building next door, where books were being handed out one by one from a cart. People walked away with their treasures, sometimes in pairs or small groups, but most of them already had their noses in the book or read aloud to their companions as they walked. Once they had the Princess in front of them, they took no more notice of their surroundings.

 

"It looks safe enough to slip up the street in the other direction," Zelgadis said, but he sounded a little doubtful.

 

"Or we could walk out into the crowd and be hailed as heroes!" Xelloss joked.

 

Zelgadis huffed. "Feel free to make yourself a decoy for me, then," he said. "I'm leaving."

 

"Admiration and praise from happy strangers is not on my diet," Xelloss said cheerfully. "I'm right behind you."

 

Zelgadis led the way toward the door. Xelloss glanced down by the window and saw Warren's book peeking out from its hasty hiding place. In spite of all his other concerns, curiosity and mischief made him reach down and nudge it out for a glimpse.

 

He almost wished he hadn't. The bright, colorful cover of the book seemed to leap out and root him to the spot. He felt rather the same way he'd felt once when a very large temple bell had fallen onto his head, or perhaps more appropriately, like he'd been hit by one of Lina's Fireballs.

 

"Xelloss? What's wrong?" Zelgadis' impatience was tinged with concern; Xelloss thought perhaps the shaman sensed the shock he felt. He heard Zelgadis come back to his side from the door. He tore his gaze away from the book cover to watch the chimera's stony blue face turn ivory white when he glanced down and saw what Xelloss had seen.

 

"She can't... she didn't.... " Zelgadis gasped.

 

"Apparently, she did," Xelloss observed casually. Somehow, sensing Zelgadis' shock calmed him down considerably. He dared another glance at the book.

 

 _The Princess of Fate and the Sorcerer's Secret_ read the lettering on a scroll which formed a border around the picture on the cover. A group of figures was painted there in bright colors, posed in a scene from their adventures - a scene that was shockingly familiar.

 

In the picture, a swordsman with yellow hair slashed his glowing sword through the air, while a hooded, white-robed sorcerer and a young, dark haired cleric stood beside him, arms raised to cast their spells. Opposite them another swordsman, a shadowy man in a billowing robe and wide-brimmed hat, had raised his sword to strike. In the center of all this, a petite female sorcerer with flaming red hair stood in an aura of golden light, silhouetted against the black, demonic shape swirling behind her.

 

Beside the redheaded sorcerer, most distinctive of all, the Princess herself stood with her arms raised and her long cape whipping around her very shapely form. She held up an odd amulet which shot a beam of light toward another demonic figure, a huge, fiery, three-headed dragon that filled the background of the scene. Green ringlets framed the Princess' face and her blue eyes sparkled in triumph.

 

If Xelloss had any remaining doubts about the identity of the Princess and her companions, the words in the scroll below the picture made it undeniably clear.

 

" 'Written by Queen Martina Xoana Mel Navratilova'." Zelgadis breathed the words disbelievingly. " 'All proceeds from the sale of this book will be used in the restoration of the King's Palace at Xoana.' Great gods, what has she done?"

 

Xelloss glanced up and around the shop. He heard Osprey rustling papers in the back, while he could just see the top of Warren's head and hear him muttering behind his growing stack of boxes. 

 

"I think perhaps we'd better find out," he said. 

 

Zelgadis stood by in numb silence as Xelloss slipped Warren's precious book under his cloak. He stared at Xelloss for a second, and then closed his eyes, wincing as if in pain. Then, without another word, he turned and led the way out of the shop. 

 

Xelloss walked along beside Zelgadis with his head down, hardly glancing at the people they passed, barely noticing when he sensed the now familiar excitement of one of the Princess' many fans passing by. The discovery of Martina's book was a welcome distraction from his own troubles. While he felt Zelgadis' surprise shift into anger, his own twisted into dark humor. 

 

"Ah," he said to himself softly. "So the dragon really is dead. Mac will be very disappointed." He grinned. 

 

Turning a corner, he felt girlish laughter before he heard it. He looked up to see two small figures huddled together in the doorway of a closed shop, giggling excitedly as they turned the pages of the book propped on their knees. One of them happened to look up as he and Zelgadis walked by. Rya's eyes met his and grew very round. 

 

He couldn't help it: he grinned at her. Her mouth dropped open. She poked Jin in the arm and the other girl glared at the interruption before looking his way. Jin's mouth fell open as well and her face turned charmingly pink. He turned away and hurried after Zelgadis, who hadn't noticed them at all. 

 

"I told you!" he heard Jin exclaim in an excited whisper just before they turned another corner. 

 

It was only then that Xelloss realized how they knew his name - not from the story of the destruction of Shimer's Shrine as he'd assumed, but from Martina's ridiculous book. Further along, as they hurried across the footbridge, it occurred to him to wonder if one of the book-burning Soldiers he'd destroyed a short time ago had been Rya's Uncle Ned. He supposed he might never know. 

 

Zelgadis glanced at him and scowled. 

 

"What is so amusing?" he snapped. 

 

"Almost everything," Xelloss answered cheerfully. It was almost true. 

 

"That's easy for you to say," Zelgadis growled. "You're not on the cover of some ridiculous book that everyone thinks is a fairy tale!" 

 

"Oh? I'm not?" It was Xelloss' turn to scowl. He pulled the book out to look at it as they climbed the hill up to the Inn and their cottage. Zelgadis winced, but there was no one around them to notice. 

 

Xelloss studied the cover again, amused at the way Lina and her companions had been portrayed. Then he noticed a figure in the corner of the picture. 

 

"What? Is that supposed to be me? Oh, Martina-san, how very cruel of you!"

 

Zelgadis peered over his arm, too curious to resist. He chuckled when he finally noticed the little figure in dark, priest-like robes huddled in the corner, apparently cowering from everything going on around him.

 

"Zel-san, that is not amusing!"

 

"Well, you did disappear whenever things got rough, you know."

 

"It was for the best," Xelloss protested weakly. "I had my reasons..."

 

"I'm sure you did," Zelgadis said with a grin.

 

Xelloss sighed. "And now, I take it you're planning to disappear from Mystport, just when things have become interesting."

 

They came in view of their cottage at that moment. Zelgadis finally slowed his quick pace to a much slower walk.

 

"Yes," he said quietly. "That is a shame. I was looking forward to several more nights in this place."

 

Xelloss heard him sigh and mutter something about lying in bed and looking at something all day after all. He wasn't sure what Zelgadis meant, but it gave him an idea.

 

"I suppose we could hide out here for some time," Xelloss suggested. He nudged against Zelgadis suggestively. Now that he thought about it, he really liked that idea. If Zelgadis stayed here a little longer, he could at least find out if there were any Soldiers still in the area and take care of business, only this time he would keep Zelgadis completely out of it.

 

"No, I don't think so." Zelgadis shook his head. "Don't you remember when we arrived? The girl at the desk who suddenly became very friendly?"

 

"Oh, yes," Xelloss remembered. "Just after she hid the book she'd been reading before we came in. She's probably in town at this moment, getting her own copy of Book 6. She'll hear the story about the book burners as well, and if she already thinks she knows who we are.... "

 

Zelgadis shook his head again, this time in amazement.

 

"We just have to get our things and leave. I'm afraid we have even more reason to go to Wyndcliff than we knew," Zelgadis said, looking at his rolled-up map. "I just hope it really is as isolated as everyone says. If we're lucky, they don't even have a bookseller there."

 

"On the other hand, we could just end up lost in the wilderness," Xelloss suggested cheerfully.

 

It worried him just a little that Zelgadis only grinned as if being lost in the wilderness was a wonderful idea.

 

\---

 _to be continued._

 _  
_

_Note: this chapter is dedicated to Ami Metallium, and anyone else who already guessed about The Princess of Fate! (Did anyone not see that coming??)_

 _  
_

_Next: Self doubt can be unhealthy for a Mazoku and unsafe for a Mazoku's companions. Xelloss has too much time to think on the way to the mysterious village of Wyndcliff, but it's Zelgadis who has the moment of insight. (angst and lemon ahead)_

 

 

 


	7. Caught in the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xelloss finds he has too much time to think and doubt himself on the way to the mysterious village of Wyndcliff, which is a little dangerous for both of them, but it's Zelgadis who has the moment of insight.

 

_The ground shook under the Princess' feet as the huge Monster fell to the ground with a horrible scream. The Sorcerer's magical black sword vanished from her hands, but it had served its purpose. She had finally defeated the Chaos Dragon._

 

_The Princess breathed a sigh of relief. Of all the horrible Monsters she'd met, the Chaos Dragon was by far the most horrible of all! Even Xelloss, that despicable Trickster Priest, was not as horrible, even though he was really a Monster all along. She had even felt a little sorry for him when the vicious Chaos Dragon had cut off his arm. Even if your friend turned out to be a Monster, if you ever saw him in agony like that you'd feel sorry for him, too._

 

_Alas, it seemed that neither the Sorcerer nor her friends were going to get to rest just yet! The ground began to shake again as if the mountain was starting to crumble. Was the Chaos Dragon coming back to life, or could it be something even worse? And suddenly the Princess found she had another worry: the little boy who had been so nice to her was nowhere to be found! What could have happened to him, and what new, terrible thing was going to happen to the rest of them now?_

 

_The Princess and her friends were about to find out, but I'm afraid I can't tell you what happened just yet! Those questions will be answered, and many other secrets will be revealed, in the final chapter of our story: The Princess of Fate and the Sorcerer's Secret!_

 

\-- from the conclusion of Book 5: _The Princess of Fate and the Deceptive Dragon_

_***_

 

The storm swept ashore at dusk. By that time Xelloss and Zelgadis were deep in the forest again, but the road marked on Osprey's map had taken them down behind a ridge that blocked some of the wind off the sea. The road was grass covered but it was wide and level, as if it had once led somewhere important. When the rain began to fall and the wind made the trees moan over their heads, they decided to seek shelter for the night. The best they could find was a hollowed out space under a ledge where the road cut through a hillside.

 

Sitting there on the ground with their backs toward the hill, Xelloss thought he could feel the sea pounding ashore on the other side of the ridge. Zelgadis sat next to him, munching on something from his pack, and smiling. That seemed strange, Xelloss thought, considering all that had happened that day, and considering that they were sitting under a ledge with rain pouring down and wind roaring overhead.

 

The night became black, except for the rare flash of lightning that made Zel's metallic hair gleam like sword metal. But even in the dark, Xelloss could see that smile. He couldn't quite sift out Zelgadis' emotions, though, and that was unsettling.

 

Ordinarily, Xelloss would enjoy watching a storm rage in from the sea; a night like this reminded him of home. However, on this occasion it was only an inconvenience that kept them from traveling, and that gave him time to think, which was something he really could do without at the moment. Even the discovery of Martina's book and his curiosity about this strange village they were seeking weren't enough to distract him any longer. In fact, being reminded of Wolf Pack Island only increased his sense of uneasiness. Sitting here next to Zelgadis on the ground in the stormy darkness, Xelloss' couldn't help thinking back to the attack in the cove and the words that had somehow come out of his mouth afterward.

 

He'd only been doing his duty when he saved Zelgadis' life this time. The sudden decision to incinerate all of the Soldiers at once didn't go against his orders in any way, either, even if he'd originally planned something rather more entertaining for them. But however carefully he might have worded it, he had a very uncomfortable feeling that he'd spoken against his Mistress' oders when he'd given Zelgadis the convenient excuse to leave Mystport.

 

Priorities, Xelloss reminded himself firmly. Protecting Zelgadis from the Soldiers of Shimer was a matter of honor and obligation. Destroying the Soldiers was simply his job. He should have been able to do both. Nearly failing at one task didn't give him the right to avoid the other. He couldn't understand how such simple duties had become so... confusing.

 

He could almost convince himself that leaving Mystport like this was still part of his duty to protect Zelgadis, just as he told himself every day that teaching Zelgadis advanced astral magic was for the same purpose. But each time he thought of that arrow flying through the air on a direct path to Zelgadis' heart, he knew why he'd really said those words, and it wasn't because of any orders he'd been given at all.

 

He might not have chosen to be sitting so close, so that their hips and knees and shoulders were touching like this, if there were any more room under the ledge. He thought of putting up a spell barrier against the weather to give them more space; he thought of lighting a fire so that he could move to the other side of it; he even thought of going out into the rain. He was too sharply aware of the pressure of Zel's shoulder against his, and of the chimera's rough, cool skin pressing against his through damp fabric. It was the same shoulder where a poisonous arrow had been lodged a short time ago.

 

But instead of the small wound from that arrow, he kept thinking of a great, gaping hole in the chimera's chest, and instead of the slim thread of poisonous magic winding its way into Zelgadis' spirit, he kept remembering the lifeblood dripping onto scalding hot stone in a steam-filled cavern. Such a scene of death and destruction should have been a pleasant memory, but it wasn't. Not at all.

 

Xelloss sat with his head bowed and his eyes closed. His simmering fury at Shimer's Soldiers turned into rage at himself. He really should hunt down and kill the Keepers and every last one of Shimer's followers, and destroy every one of their enchanted weapons. He shouldn't be sitting here under a ledge in the rain, listening for the sound of the chimera's steady heartbeat under the roar of the storm.

 

But he had to do this, didn't he? He had to follow Zelgadis, guard him, watch him, listen to him, every step of the way. It wasn't his decision to take them both far away from the Soldiers of Shimer and their weapons. In spite of what he'd said, it really wasn't his idea to take this road.

 

He told himself that, but sitting there with the storm wind moaning in the trees overhead, he knew that just wasn't true.

 

It didn't seem to be his idea to place his hand on Zel's arm where that arrow had been, either, but there it was, somehow. He didn't even realize he'd put it there until rough stone fingers closed over his. He didn't look up when he felt Zelgadis' cheek press against the side of his head.

 

"You looked so pleased, after you killed them," Zelgadis said musingly. "I thought it was because you were enjoying my pain as well. I even thought for a moment that you wanted them to attack me, just for that reason."

 

 _Foolish chimera_ , Xelloss thought. _You should have been right._ How could it be that Zelgadis' pain only caused him to feel fury and rage rather than pleasure? But that wasn't quite true, either. Not always.

 

Xelloss smiled and slowly turned his head until he felt the stone chips on Zelgadis' chin rasp against his face. When his lips brushed Zel's, he squeezed his fingers around the chimera's arm.

 

"Ah, but you see, I only really enjoy your pain when I'm the one to give it to you," he said.

 

Zelgadis parted his lips, and Xelloss caught his lower lip between his teeth. Stone fingers clenched his, pressing them deeper into stone flesh.

 

"I know," Zelgadis breathed against his mouth.

 

 _Damn you, Zelgadis,_ Xelloss thought. He didn't know why. He bit down hard enough to taste blood through stone. Zelgadis winced, but instead of shrinking from him or pushing him away, the chimera leaned into him more.

 

Zelgadis let go of his hand and clutched at his shirt instead, tugging him around and over. Xelloss followed the pull of that hand and, even more irresistible, the touch of the spirit that reached for his. He turned and rose up on his knees, still holding Zelgadis' arm in a vice grip while he twisted his other hand in wire strands of hair, pulling back so that Zelgadis' mouth fell open in a gasp that he swallowed hungrily.

 

The wind shifted suddenly; rain blew in and soaked them both. Xelloss pressed Zelgadis back against the dirt and stones under the ledge. He released Zel's shoulder so that he could yank the shaman's tunic and cloak out of his way, and then raked his fingertips over Zel's ribs and his chest, making sparks fly from the stone skin. Moaning, Zelgadis slid lower and tangled his legs around Xelloss', grinding their hips together. At the same time, Zel's spirit form rippled against his, setting off shockwaves of pleasure.

 

It was too much pleasure, too much of this craving for a human's touch. It was wrong.

 

"Damn you!" he screamed. Suddenly furious, he slammed Zelgadis into the dirt with his full weight. Air whooshed from the chimera's lungs and his heart pounded frantically against Xelloss' chest. He twisted his spirit around Zel's, pressing in on it, trying to keep it still, and bore down harder on his stone body - as if crushing both body and spirit might smother his own desire.

 

He tasted delicious fear. Zel's eyes were wide, staring up at his face. For a moment, the terror was real and pure. Struggling for breath underneath him, Zelgadis feared for his life, and his small, fragile spirit fluttered in Xelloss' powerful grasp.

 

He was right to fear. Mazoku instinct simply insisted that this terrible, glaring bit of mortal life should be thoroughly destroyed. But every tiny movement only made Xelloss want him even more.

 

Zelgadis swallowed hard and closed his eyes, while Xelloss lay on top of him and listened to his shallow, rasping breaths. Glittering blue eyes opened again slowly, staring up at Xelloss' mouth. Zelgadis whimpered, but his sweet, seductive fear was mingled with hunger as he somehow managed to raise his head and bring their lips together.

 

It was no use, Xelloss realized. He couldn't resist what Zelgadis offered. Beneath fear and desire, the chimera's understanding of his need raked his spirit like shards of glass. He couldn't resist even that pain. He needed that, too.

 

He released the struggling spirit and pulled back a little on the physical plane. Zelgadis drew in a deep, desperate breath, but as soon as he had it, he took Xelloss' mouth in an even deeper kiss.

 

Scrambling in the dirt and the rain, Xelloss somehow managed to strip Zelgadis' wet clothing off his body while still holding him down, even though Zel's hungry mouth was on him all the time. His astral body pulsed around Zelgadis' spirit, caressing it now. The chimera's hard stone body responded; Zelgadis twisted his arms and legs around him and squirmed against his bare skin, teasing and demanding.

 

Finally, sprawled in the dirt between the ledge and the road, Xelloss gave in to what they both wanted and buried himself in Zelgadis' body. Feasting on his chimera's desperate fear and longing, he could finally ignore his own.

 

Lightning flashed above the trees. In the flickering glare, Zelgadis' hard, wet body gleamed. Sapphire eyes flashed up at him. He held Zelgadis down in the dirt with one hand, but only his shoulders were still on the ground; his back was arched and his hips were raised to meet Xelloss' thrusts. His lip was swollen where Xelloss had bitten it, but his fingers scratched deep welts in Xelloss' arm.

 

Zelgadis pulled Xelloss' other hand to close around his own hardness. As another flash seared the air a minute later, Zelgadis threw his head back and screamed to the sky as he came.

 

The vision of Zelgadis like that, his slim body arched and gleaming in the brief flare of silver light, filled Xelloss' mind, and finally replaced the memory of him bleeding and dying. The thunder that followed was drowned in his own roar of release.

 

He slid free of Zel's body and fell to the ground beside him with his cheek in the mud. His face pressed against the chimera's shoulder and one arm lay over Zel's chest where he could feel it rise and fall, and feel the pounding of his heart. The rain still pelted down on them; after a moment Zelgadis rolled toward him, snorting water.

 

Xelloss didn't feel any need to move. After a few minutes of lying there in the rain and mud, it was Zelgadis who finally roused himself enough to half roll, half crawl back under the ledge, pulling Xelloss along with him. He grumbled something incoherent as he settled against Xelloss and immediately fell asleep.

 

Zelgadis' body was nearly as wet, cold, and jagged as the ground underneath, but it was alive and whole. As strange and wrong as it might be for a Mazoku, Xelloss preferred it that way. With the storm raging on outside their tiny shelter, he lay there in the dark and tried very hard not to think about anything at all.

 

 

\---

 

"Foolish Mazoku."

 

The muttered words startled Xelloss into looking up from the fading glow of the campfire.

 

Morning had blown in dark and windy, with mist all around and water dripping from the trees. Long before Zelgadis awoke, Xelloss had finally made a barrier against the weather and built a fire within it. He'd been sitting there alone for a couple of hours, staring at the embers even though they had done nothing to settle his confusion. He'd decided over and over again that he should simply return to Mystport on his own, but he hadn't moved. Confusion was as crippling as Shimer's curse. Before Zelgadis sat up and spoke to him, Xelloss had begun to think he might not ever move again.

 

Now Zelgadis sat across from him, calmly drinking his morning cup of coffee. Xelloss had dressed himself in shirt, pants and boots, but Zelgadis was still wrapped in nothing but Xelloss' cloak, which he'd unthinkingly conjured to cover both of them sometime in the middle of the night. Like so many other things lately, he had no idea why he'd done that, and now wished he hadn't. The cloak was a part of him; if he let himself, he could feel Zel's body wrapped within it. He didn't let himself feel anything from it at all.

 

He hardly wanted to know his own emotions; he'd been shielding himself from Zelgadis' ever since he'd risen to make camp. At the sound of his voice, the chimera's emotions broke through to him. There was the familiar irritation but there was also an unexpected taste of humor, and then there was something else he couldn't fathom, something that Zelgadis seemed to be trying to suppress. That odd smile had returned. Not what he expected, but then, he didn't know what he'd been expecting. The other emotion he couldn't name made him squirm inside, but he raised his eyes to face Zelgadis as calmly as he could.

 

"What does that mean?" he asked.

 

"Why didn't you just tell me? You know I have no love for the Keepers and Soldiers of Shimer. What did you think, that I wouldn't have the guts to kill them?"

 

"I..." Xelloss blinked in surprise. That was what Zelgadis was irritated about? Not about how Xelloss had taken him last night in the mud and rain, or how he'd slammed him into the ground in his moment of rage? Xelloss could still taste the fear that had flooded him in that moment, but there was nothing like fear in Zelgadis' aura now.

 

He drew his mind away from that memory and considered the question. He supposed that was part of the reason he'd kept that aspect of his mission a secret, thinking that Zelgadis only wanted to avoid Shimer's grinning maniacs at all costs, but put like that it sounded absurd. He knew perfectly well how ruthless Zelgadis could be. The only other reason he could think of was his habit of keeping secrets.

 

"Hmph," Zelgadis laughed flatly. "Did I ever thank you for killing Zuller and saving me the trouble?"

 

"Why, no, now that you mention it," Xelloss said mildly, trying to regain his composure. "But no thanks are necessary. Under the circumstances, it was my pleasure!"

 

"I'm sure it was," Zelgadis said with a grim smile. "In spite of the fact that he probably didn't even wince."

 

"That's true, regrettably," Xelloss said. "Zuller's fanaticism and the effect of the Relics insulated him from negative emotions. Killing him had to be its own satisfaction."

 

Zelgadis sat back a little and raised his cup to his lips, but he continued to watch Xelloss over the rim. Xelloss returned his look as steadily as he could; he still felt wary and off balance. Zelgadis seemed unusually self-assured, as if he knew something Xelloss didn't.

 

Zelgadis set the cup aside with a sigh, releasing Xelloss from his gaze for a moment. He picked up his sword, which had been lying on the ground beside the fire along with most of their other belongings. Everything had gotten wet and all of Zelgadis' clothes were covered in mud; Xelloss had laid everything out by the fire to dry. Zelgadis pulled the sword from its scabbard and placed it across his knees to wipe it clean. Xelloss watched curiously as he ran his fingers along the blade.

 

"Xelloss. I apologize," he said quietly.

 

Again Xelloss was startled by his words, but again he hid his surprise. He merely cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

 

"Oh? Whatever for?"

 

"For keeping you from your duty. I didn't realize I was making things - complicated for you. I admit, I would be perfectly happy if I never saw another smiling, idiotic Follower of Shimer in my entire life. When you told me they would be hunting for us, I should have realized that avoiding them would be impossible. "

 

Xelloss wondered if Zelgadis could possibly realize just how complicated things had become. Only one thing seemed clear to Xelloss himself at that moment, the one part of his duty that he knew he would perform no matter what.

 

"I'm afraid it will be impossible to avoid them now. But you also didn't take me seriously when I said that my duty is to protect you from them," Xelloss said. "It's quite serious, I assure you."

 

"I realize that - now. I also realize that the threat is more serious than I thought, not only to me but to you, as well." He looked up and caught Xelloss' gaze then. His eyes glittered with hard light although his voice was mild as he leaned forward again. "Did it never occur to you that the danger to you might matter to me as well?"

 

Xelloss was thrown completely off balance. Zelgadis' emotion - a blend of cold fury, scathing hatred, and dread - he'd felt it before, back in the Great Hall at the Shrine of Shimeria. He was sure it had been for him at the time, but that was before Zelgadis had destroyed the Shrine. He knew now that Zelgadis' rage, both then and now, was aimed only at the Shrinekeepers for what they'd done to him. It was the mirror image of the rage he himself felt toward them for harm they'd done to Zelgadis.

 

Xelloss knew that Zelgadis had risked his life and thrown away his cure to save Xelloss in Shimeria. He owed Zelgadis his protection for that, but he'd finally admitted to himself last night that it was more than duty that drove him to make sure the chimera's heart continued to beat.

 

Zelgadis couldn't possibly understand that Xelloss risked his own life, his very existence, simply by making that choice. He was a Mazoku, and Mazoku didn't have choices - they only had duties. A Mazoku lived for death and destruction. He shouldn't have this horrible need to keep a human heart beating with life.

 

He couldn't stop the shudder that ran through him. Zelgadis' eyes narrowed, and then went unfocused for a second. He leaned forward a little more, and Xelloss felt the chimera's spirit reach for his to catch him with a light touch, clutching at him as he quickly drew away. Zelgadis let go and shook his head, then his eyes focused on Xelloss again with the same hard light.

 

"I don't want to spend the rest of my days worrying about some fanatic with an enchanted arrow or a sword that can cut me in half," Zelgadis said grimly. "But more than that, Xelloss, I never want to see you weak, or hear you scream in pain again."

 

Was Zel talking about Zuller and the threat from the Keeper's spell, or something else? He remembered the strange moment after he'd attacked Zelgadis last night, when he'd caught the painful tang of understanding and acceptance under the chimera's fear of him. He realized that the unnameable emotion he sensed and shyed away from now was an even deeper, stronger strain of that. He also guessed that Zelgadis was trying to keep it buried not out of any sense of shyness, but because he knew how unpleasant it would feel to a Mazoku. Perhaps he did understand....

 

"Zelgadis," Xelloss said quietly.

 

Zelgadis sat back again and examined his sword carefully as he continued.

 

"You were right about my real reasons for coming to Mystport, but now I'm genuinely curious about the ruins in this ancient village," he said conversationally. "Besides that, I'm afraid that with this weather, traveling back across the mountains or up the coast by sea will be impractical for a while. But after I've checked things out here, your quest becomes mine, Xelloss. We'll take the road you choose next time. I'm going with you, to Demonend or all the way back to Shimeria if necessary. If your people haven't found the missing Keepers yet, we will find them. In the meantime.... "

 

While Xelloss watched with growing astonishment, Zel lifted the sword and ran his palm along the blade, studying it with narrowed eyes. Xelloss watched it catch the light, but then he realized he saw something else flicker there. A blue filament of power from the astral side flowed along it, following the movement of Zel's fingers along the edge of the blade. Xelloss' eyes flew wide, startled; pulling power into the physical world in that way, with no more than a thought, was not a simple thing for a human. He leaned forward eagerly. Zelgadis' eyebrow twitched, his concentration faltered, and the astral power flickered out.

 

"Yes I see," Xelloss said as Zelgadis pursed his lips in frustration. "In the meantime, we'll have to step up your training a little, won't we?"

 

Zelgadis nodded with a rueful grin. "I wouldn't need you as a guardian against the Soldiers of Shimer if I could use all of my astral powers, would I?" he said. "Then you won't have to choose between saving me and killing them. And neither will I."

 

"And if your search in Wyndcliff leads you to a way to restore your human body?" Xelloss asked as mildly as he could manage.

 

"Heh," Zelgadis laughed briefly. "They're fanatics, Xelloss. Do you think that my being human will stop them from hunting me?"

 

"Then, in that case...?"

 

"I told you, if I found a cure now, I don't know what I'd do with it. Anyway, that's only one aspect of the legendary magic of Skye, you know. Perhaps I'll find something even more useful. Something I can use against the Keepers, for instance."

 

Zelgadis casually laid the sword aside and picked up his cup again.

 

"Well, well," Xelloss said thoughtfully, watching the smile tug at Zelgadis' lips again. "I must admit, this will simplify my life somewhat."

 

"I thought it might," Zelgadis said. He sounded a little smug, just as he had back at the start of this unexpected conversation.

 

The sense of relief that Xelloss felt was surprisingly strong, as if this would do far more than simplify his life. He felt rather more like his life had been saved. Freed from the need to make impossible choices, he felt like he might be able to move again after all.

 

Zelgadis set the cup down and leaned forward again, elbows on his knees and chin on his hands as he peered into Xelloss' face. At the same time, his spirit reached across and hovered near Xelloss' on the astral side. Startled by the sudden move, Xelloss drew back a little on both levels.

 

"Now," Zelgadis said. He let his spirit's touch fall short, but lifted his hand to touch Xelloss' hair. "Now that you don't have to choose between me and your mission, will you please stop pulling away from me when I want you?"

 

"I...." Xelloss faltered. "Have I been doing that? I didn't...."

 

But he had done that, he realized, and for the same reason he'd attacked Zelgadis last night. He was afraid in a way that a Mazoku should never be - afraid of his desire for Zelgadis, and of what it could make him do.

 

But now...

 

He held perfectly still while Zelgadis leaned closer and pressed their lips together.

 

"That's better," Zelgadis breathed against his mouth.

 

"Yes," Xelloss had to agree. "It is."

 

He still didn't move, though, not until Zelgadis pulled him to the side and down, and then they were moving together. That made everything so much simpler, Xelloss thought. After that, for a while, he finally managed to stop thinking entirely.

 

\---

 

to be continued...

 

Coming up: No longer at cross-purposes (for the first time ever?), Xelloss and Zelgadis are hardly surprised to find more surprises when they reach Wyndcliff village.


	8. Wyndcliff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Xelloss and Zelgadis enter a new phase in their adventure and their relationship, they arrive at the odd, old village of Wyndcliff where they find more surprises, more mysteries, and some familiar faces waiting to greet them.

 

"You know," Zelgadis muttered an hour or so later, after he'd gotten his breath back, "just because I'm made of stone doesn't mean I enjoy being coated in mud."

 

Xelloss rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow to look down at Zel, who was flat on his back on the ground beside him, and who was, in fact, quite thoroughly coated with mud. It was a little difficult to tell where the chimera ended and the ground began.

 

"It's your own fault this time," he said, grinning down at Zel. "Anyway, it suits you, I think!" He leaned closer and ran his hand over Zel's mud-caked thigh. "Especially when you're not wearing anything else!"

 

Zelgadis caught his hand and stopped its progress with a sigh and a grimace, as though he really had to force himself to do it.

 

"Look," Zel said, gazing straight up to the treetops far over head. "The clouds are closing in again, and the wind is picking up. We were lucky to get a short break from the weather, but the storm isn't over yet. I'd prefer to find some real shelter before the end of the day. And a bath would be nice."

 

"I can't argue with you there," Xelloss purred. "Well, then, I suppose..."

 

But they didn't get up for another minute. Instead, Xelloss leaned over him and pressed the hand Zelgadis had caught back against his chest over his heart, and kissed him deeply. Zelgadis sighed again, but he didn't resist this time. Instead, his free hand came up to stroke Xelloss' hair, and it was Xelloss who finally broke the kiss and then pulled them both to their feet.

 

It took some time to collect their scattered belongings, most of which had gotten wet again in the dripping mist from the trees. Zelgadis gave up trying to brush the half-dried mud from his rough skin and pulled on his equally muddy clothes over it all. He threw his cloak and hood on just as the rain started to fall in earnest again.

 

Already the rather smug contentment which Xelloss had been sensing in him was starting to give way to his customary irritability, which only increased when he glanced over and saw that Xelloss was not only dressed, but clean and dry as well. As Xelloss expected, another wave of irritation flowed off the chimera when he picked up Martina's book and brushed a smudge of dirt from the cover. Zelgadis scowled at it, even after Xelloss tucked it into the bag hanging at his side.

 

"That book," Zelgadis grumbled.

 

"I don't know why you're still so displeased when you're obviously one of the heroes of the tale," Xelloss said reasonably as he settled his cloak around himself and picked up his staff. "I expect you've become quite popular all over the countryside now."

 

"Well, I doubt that," Zelgadis said. "But I guess it will be interesting to see what the Princess has to say about the infamous Trickster Priest - especially after seeing that picture of you on the cover!"

 

"Unfortunately, if this is the last book, we've already missed most of the tale, including the part where I dashingly rescued the Princess from a gang of bandit thugs! I suppose we'll hear all of it eventually, though."

 

"Yes," Zelgadis sighed. "I suppose we will. Endlessly."

 

They started along the road again, with the wind blowing rain and wet leaves against into their faces. It was nearly as wild as it had been the night before, only lacking the lightning and thunder. Xelloss found it quite pleasant. The steady, low hum of dark energy from Zelgadis' grumpy mood was a pleasant compliment to the rough weather, as far as he was concerned. Now he could enjoy both the storm and Zelgadis' company, which he hadn't been able to appreciate the night before when his mind was caught up in turmoil and doubt.

 

Looking ahead to where the road quickly disappeared from sight, curving to the left through a thickening evergreen forest, Xelloss smiled contentedly. At least for a while, he didn't need to worry about where their path was leading them or which direction he should go. While the rain pelted their faces and the wind roared in the branches over their heads, it was quite enough to simply be walking along with an irritable chimera by his side, ready for whatever adventures awaited them down the road.

 

They were beginning to get into the southern coastal mountains, and their road began to climb steadily uphill. The heavy rain turned it into a muddy stream under their feet. Zelgadis cursed under his breath as his boots became even muddier than the rest of him.

 

Xelloss tuned in a little more closely to Zelgadis' emotional energy, as he hadn't quite dared to do earlier. He wasn't surprised to detect a fair amount of satisfaction, even pleasure, still lurking underneath the irritation he was projecting so strongly on the surface. Xelloss knew the rain and mud and Martina's book really did annoy Zelgadis, but he wondered if most of the darker emotion was just there for his benefit.

 

It was sweet of Zelgadis to be so considerate of him, he thought with a fond grin. Of course, he couldn't help but show his appreciation by discussing one of those sources of irritation.

 

"Now that I think about it more," he began, "I should have stolen the rest of the Princess books as well. I'm quite curious to know exactly what parts of the story Martina-san chose to tell. I wonder if Wyndcliff really is too isolated to have a bookseller? Perhaps, if we're lucky, someone there has read it and can tell us the rest of the tale."

 

Zelgadis, predictably, speared him with a glare, to which Xelloss only responded by grinning innocently.

 

"I hope they've never even heard of the Princess of Fate there," the chimera grumbled. "As long as they're civilized enough to have an inn and a bath, I'll be just as happy if they're completely cut off from the rest of the world!"

 

He sloshed along silently for a while, but his scowl grew more thoughtful.

 

"Actually," he said after a while, "I wonder whether this book is as well known all over the countryside as it is in this area? Xoana is much closer to Mystport than Seyruun is, and as you said yesterday, stories as well as people may travel more quickly along the coast than over land. I wonder if Lina and the others even know about it yet? And," he added as an afterthought, "if Lina does, I wonder if Xoana is still standing?"

 

"Ah!" Xelloss said. "You do have a point!"

 

He hadn't thought to wonder how the fiery sorceress might react to seeing her own picture on the cover of a book written by her former rival. The image of Lina that came to his mind made him laugh. Zelgadis quirked an eyebrow at him from under the dripping edge of his hood.

 

"Well," Xelloss said, stifling his giggles, "You know, stories of Lina Inverse, the Bandit Killer and Dragon Spooker, have been circulating around for years now. _Her_ name, at least, is known almost everywhere from the Desert of Destruction to the mountains of the far North. I even heard some of the stories about her before I met all of you. They were especially popular during the time you all had a bounty on your heads."

 

"Yes, I know," Zelgadis said, "I heard some of them myself. But most of them didn't have much to do with anything that really happened to us. In fact, a lot of them were just old folk stories that somehow got our names attached to them, and most of them weren't flattering. This story seems to have cast Lina as the hero, as far as I can tell, in spite of the fact that Martina was Lina's enemy for so long."

 

"I'm not surprised," Xelloss said. "Martina came to admire Lina quite a lot, you know, by the end of it all. In fact, the princess had something of a crush on the sorceress, in spite of the fact she married that swordsman. Come to think of it, Zangulus had something of a crush on Gourry, so perhaps that explains their marriage! But in any case, it seems that you are all heroes in Martina's book - minus myself, of course!"

 

"Don't tell me you want to be considered a hero!" Zelgadis teased.

 

"Oh my, no! That would ruin my reputation completely."

 

Zelgadis laughed. "Considering how you deceived Martina, I don't think you have to worry. Of course, we don't know if she got the story right at all. She probably has everything all mixed up!"

 

"Hmm," Xelloss said. From what he'd heard, he'd assumed she had given the story of Gaav's death as she'd seen it, but he was really only guessing that the Chaos Dragon was the "dragon" who it seemed that "The Sorcerer," had killed.

 

Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure how much Martina understood of what was really going on. If she did get it right rather than mixing it all up... well, it was no wonder the book was stirring up a lot of attention, even from scholars. Especially from scholars, in fact.

 

"Considering all that happened, now that I think of it, it might be just as well if she did mix things up a bit," he said, frowning.

 

Zelgadis turned to him with a curious look. "You think it might be a little too revealing otherwise? Especially concerning certain Mazoku family secrets? I rather doubt the esteemed Professor Herringull or her colleagues in the Sorcerer's Guild know quite so much about the Chaos Dragon as we do."

 

"I very much doubt it," Xelloss said. "Although I suppose it doesn't matter much now if they know how he came to be destroyed, and why. Still, I doubt the remaining Lords would be pleased to have the details made public."

 

"Do you suppose her description of what happened to Hellmaster makes any sense?" Zelgadis said doubtfully. "We all hardly understood what was happening at the time."

 

Xelloss peered up at him from under his bangs, smiling darkly. Zelgadis' eyes widened on seeing his expression.

 

"Do you understand it, even now?" Xelloss asked softly. "It was hardly fathomable at the time, even to me. It still fills me with awe to think of what we all witnessed - and survived!"

 

Zelgadis frowned. "You mean seeing the Lord of Nightmares appear in Lina's form, and all the chaos and destruction that caused?"

 

Xelloss winced at his casual mention of the most powerful Being in all the worlds, but Zelgadis didn't notice. It always amazed him that humans treated Her name with so little respect and understanding - if they knew of Her at all.

 

"I suppose the fact that we survived all that is remarkable," Zelgadis said. "I was more concerned with Lina at the time, though, and whether she was really... gone. After we escaped and she and Gourry reappeared, I was just so glad we were all still alive that I guess I didn't wonder about it much more than that."

 

Xelloss walked on silently with his head bowed for a moment, feeling Zelgadis' curious gaze turn toward him. Even the shamanic sorcerer still didn't comprehend exactly what he'd seen in that moment after the Hellmaster was destroyed. Perhaps he couldn't comprehend it, just as there were some aspects of astral magic that his mortal mind simply couldn't grasp. And certainly Martina was even more ignorant of the nature of the Source of All Things than Zelgadis was. Lina claimed to have forgotten most of what happened to her, but Xelloss suspected she either couldn't find the words to explain what she'd learned about the Golden Lord, or simply knew better than to try.

 

It was quite unthinkable that Martina could have described Lina's spell in the pages of a book, and even more unthinkable that she could have accurately understood and described its ultimate result. If she even tried to describe what Lina had done, and if people believed the tale was true, he wasn't sure if Lina would find herself hailed as a hero or blamed for nearly destroying the world. Either way, her reaction to all of it would be interesting, to say the least.

 

"My, my!" he said, patting the bag that held the book as if he might sense a blast of chaotic energy coming from it. "I knew Martina-san was a fine source for minor chaos in the world, but I never imagined she was capable of stirring things up quite so much!"

 

He turned to Zelgadis with one of his typical grins, getting a grimace in return.

 

"You're really going to turn into another fan of the Princess, aren't you?" Zel said disgustedly.

 

"Let's just say, I'm eager to read all about the Princess of Fate now! But all things considered, I think it probably is best if most people believe it's only a story invented by a rather over-indulged and over-imaginative princess."

 

"Yes," Zelgadis muttered. Apparently he wasn't pleased with being considered no more than a fictional character. "Just a charming little fairy tale. That would let you off the hook for a lot of things, wouldn't it? But you know, Xelloss, Martina could never have invented you out of her own imagination. No one could. You're far stranger than anything a human could ever imagine!"

 

Xelloss decided he might as well take that as a compliment. "Thank you, Zel-san! I do try."

 

 

\---

 

After several hours of plodding along through the steady downpour, they came to a fork in the road. The main road continued to curve to the left, heading away from the coast. It skirted the mountain range and slipped downhill to disappear into a deep spruce forest. The smaller path to the right began to climb up the ridge, which was now quite a bit lower and thinner of trees than the high hill that had cut them off from the worst of the wind the night before. Looking up the steep road, Xelloss could see and hear the wind whipping the stunted treetops at the crest of the ridge.

 

"I expect the view will be splendid once we reach the other side," he said cheerfully.

 

Zelgadis gave him a wordless, black look, then turned away and began to plod up the muddy path. Xelloss followed, still grinning.

 

In fact, the view was quite impressive from the top of the hill, although it would have been easier to see it without the icy rain pelting directly into their faces and the mist that hid the long stretch of coastline to the north and south.

 

Directly in front of them, the land dipped then rose again to a wooded point, beyond which it dropped suddenly away as if they had reached the edge of the world. Their path bent to the left again and fell back into low, windswept evergreens for a few miles, before it wound down into a deep but narrow cove to the south.

 

Beyond the cove, a high cliff rose to a hook-shaped point that jutted further out into the sea than the lower hill they stood upon. The sea was churning white and grey under dark storm clouds and mist, and even from this distance, they could see the grass and the few trees on the point being tugged almost flat by the wind. But within the arm of the cliff, the water in the cove was nearly as calm as a lake.

 

A rickety looking village clung to the hillside at the head of the cove, with the mountains rising up behind it. The collection of wooden houses and terraced streets shored up by wooden beams began at a rambling pier at the water's edge. Halfway up the slope, amid the moss-covered roofs of the town, there was a mass of evergreen trees that looked black in the rain, and in the midst of the trees Xelloss glimpsed something that seemed to gleam brightly through the rain and mist.

 

He wondered if there was some kind of guild hall in the tiny village, or if this might be the roof of a mansion belonging to one of the famously old families Zelgadis was so interested in. He was about to mention it when Zelgadis called his attention to something else that was even more intriguing.

 

"Look there," he said, pointing across to the hooked peak of the cliff south of the cove. "That must be where the village gets its name; the cliff blocks the storm winds. But look at that clump of trees and stones at the very end. And there," he lowered his arm and pointed at the base of the cliff as well. "What do you make of that?"

 

Xelloss looked where he pointed, at the place where the waves crashed over a breakwater of huge, black stones. Peering more closely at it, Xelloss realized that these weren't merely the tumbled shards of the cliff, but shaped and carved stones - round chunks of broken pillars, and square-cut stones that might have been lintels. They would have been massive when they were whole.

 

"Ah," he said. He suddenly understood the light that had come up in Zelgadis' eyes, and hardly needed his special Mazoku senses to detect Zelgadis' excitement. "Professor Herringull said there were some ruins of interest here, here, didn't she? Quite ruined," he added, looking back at the top of the cliff. "It looks as if more than half of it fell into the sea, along with a large portion of the cliff. But it fell a very, very long time ago, by the look of it. I'd say it's much older than anything I expected to find in this part of the world."

 

"As old as the tales of the Lost City, perhaps?" Zelgadis said.

 

"Perhaps," Xelloss said noncommittally.

 

In fact, as ancient as it was, the ruins still carried an aura that he could sense even from here, a dark aura that suggested something quite different than the golden age of the City of Skye. He didn't bother to mention this, but he was almost as curious about the ruins now as Zelgadis was.

 

Zelgadis shielded his eyes from the rain with his hand, looking back from the cliff toward the village. Xelloss followed his gaze and realized what he was looking for: a way up to the ruins from the village by foot.

 

"It appears that there's a road that leads up into the mountains behind the village," he said to Zelgadis. "It probably leads back to the main road further south. But it looks as if there's a way from that road onto the point as well. It's hard to tell through this mist, but I think I can see a path right along the top of the cliff."

 

Xelloss hmm'd and squinted, but even his sharp eyes couldn't see through the fog that clung to the sheltered inner edge of the cliff, out of reach of the wind. It would be hard to say which would be more difficult, flying through the storm winds or walking along that narrow path at the edge of the windswept cliff. Using levitation to get down to the ruins below would be even more interesting, but he had no doubt Zelgadis was already calculating how much the risk was worth.

 

"Well, I'm sure we can find out more in the village." Zelgadis frowned as he looked down on the jumbled cluster of wooden buildings. "I hope there is an inn," he said doubtfully. "It's even more isolated than I expected."

 

"Yes, it is difficult to imagine travelers coming here by this road, but in better weather they may come by sea quite easily. Anyway, there's only one way to find out," Xelloss said cheerfully. He led the way down the path, and Zelgadis wasted no time following along behind him.

 

They lost sight of the village when the road wound down into the trees again, but they could hear the steady roar of the sea crashing all along the coast below them. Before long, the road left the trees suddenly and turned sharply left again - it had nowhere else to go, because the hill dropped off into an overhanging cliff right in front of them.

 

"Mr. Osprey was right," Xelloss observed as Zelgadis peered over the edge to where the waves rolled in fifty feet below. "You could walk right off the edge of the land into the sea if you're not careful!"

 

Zelgadis glanced back up the coast, then stopped and stared with greater interest. Xelloss looked around as well and saw that a small track led northwest along the cliff's edge, bending back inland again as the low point of land thrust further out into the sea. He suddenly noticed smoke rising from a chimney that poked up above the treetops, and then saw the slate-shingled roof dotted with several other chimneys. A round turret of grey stone, nearly invisible in the mist, rose higher than everything else. If it had any windows, they must all face out to sea, away from where they stood.

 

"Interesting," Xelloss said, grinning at the curiosity that was growing on Zelgadis' face. "The residence of one of the old sorcerer families, no doubt."

 

"Possibly," Zelgadis said, guardedly. "Herringull said there was only one family old enough to really have come from Skye, didn't she? And Osprey gave us a name - Asmalath, I believe it was."

 

He stood and stared at the intriguing glimpse of the building for so long that Xelloss thought he might be deciding to visit it first. He supposed the ramshackle village didn't look quite so interesting compared to a mansion with many chimneys and a tower looking out to sea. But after a minute or so, Zelgadis turned back toward the village. Xelloss heard him mutter something about "bath and bed" as he brushed past. He grinned as he followed. Apparently Zelgadis was hoping to get rid of some of the caked on mud before he went to pay a call on any grand estates, which was probably wise.

 

As he watched Zelgadis walk down the path ahead of him, Xelloss was also glad of the decision for reasons of his own. He much prefered the relative privacy of an inn over the possiblity of spending the night in a mansion with curious hosts and all the distraction that would provide for Zelgadis.

 

They found themselves rather suddenly in the village, and suddenly cut off from the wind at the same time. It seemed very still after being buffeted about all day by the storm. Even the rain had settled into a fine, drizzling mist that barely made a sound as it fell on them. The roar of the sea had faded into the background as well. The loudest sound they heard was the splat of their own footsteps in the muddy street.

 

They had come out on the third level of terraced streets above the water, in a narrow street lined with shops and houses. Xelloss caught the scent of fish being smoked over wood fires, but there was no sign of an inn along the street, and hardly any sign of people until they turned a sharp bend and climbed up to the next level.

 

As they entered a somewhat wider street paved with mud-covered stones, a person came out of a doorway not far ahead. He walked toward them, picking his way among the puddles with one arm flung up over his head to keep his hood low over his face against the penetrating mist. He didn't seem to notice two strangers coming toward them until he was right in front of them, when he looked up suddenly and stopped short.

 

Xelloss and Zelgadis stopped in mid-stride as well. The face under the hood was covered with silvery-grey fur, with long, thin whiskers on either side of a triangular, pink nose. Green eyes went wide at the sight of them. Xelloss was startled enough to blink open-eyed as well, but the cat-faced person didn't seem to notice his inhuman eyes. He seemed more intrigued by Zelgadis, who for once had forgotten to pull his scarf over his rocky, blue-skinned face.

 

The cat-person smiled and bobbed in a little bow. "Pardon me," he said. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Can't stand getting wet, you know," he added with a dainty shake of his foot.

 

Zelgadis stared back, apparently too startled to speak. Xelloss gave him a second to recover, then took over when he didn't.

 

"I apologize as well," he said. "We've just arrived in town, and we're rather anxious to get out of the rain ourselves. Could you tell us if there is an inn nearby?"

 

"Oh, yes! Certainly! There are two, in fact, both up near the top of town." The cat-man turned and gestured up the street they were following, then waved his paw back and forth several times up toward the highest part of the village. Xelloss noticed that his furry paw barely reached out of his long coat sleeve.

 

"The Grey Inn has an excellent fish chowder, but I've heard that The Bridge has better beds," he said with another friendly smile.

 

"Wonderful," Xelloss said cheerfully. "It's good to have choices! What about a bath?"

"Ah, well," he said with a shy little laugh. "I'm not one for water baths, myself, but I believe they each have facilities. Also, there's the hot spring just up the hill down the south road, not far out of the village, as well. I've heard it's very relaxing, if you enjoy that kind of thing!"

 

"Thank you!" Xelloss said with a nod of his head. "We do enjoy a nice hot spring now and then - eh, Zelgadis-san?"

 

"Er, yes," Zelgadis said, finding his voice at last. He was too distracted to even notice Xelloss' suggestive hint. He nodded politely to the cat-man. "Thank you for your help."

 

"My pleasure," the cat-man said. He drew himself back under his hood and nodded again as he went on his way. "Please enjoy your stay here in Wyndcliff!"

 

"Well," Xelloss said as he nudged Zelgadis to move forward again. "That's a relief, I must say. I was beginning to think they didn't cater to travelers here at all."

 

"But they do cater to beast-people, apparently," Zelgadis said quietly, with a quick glance over his shoulder at the cat person.

 

Xelloss turned for a glance as well, and happened to catch the cat man sneaking a quick look back at them at the same moment. He waved his sleeve-covered paw and smiled, then ducked and hurried away.

 

Xelloss wasn't sure if it was only his imagination that saw the cat man give a startled blink when he'd said Zelgadis' name. Maybe one of their tales of fame had spread to this isolated little village, after all - but then the question remained, which one of the tales would they be known for?

 

He found himself hoping that, if their names were known, it was from the Princess books and not from any other story. He really hadn't even considered the possibility that there might be Followers of Shimer here as well. All things considered, that would be quite annoying.

 

As they climbed up the next few levels, zigging and zagging back and forth across the side of the hill, they passed more people scurrying along through the muddy streets on their own business. They were ordinary people for the most part, who either nodded to them or paid them no heed at all, but they saw several other beast people as well, mingling with the regular folk in a way that he'd never seen before.

 

A lizard woman with a yellow scarf tied over her head almost ran into them while she tugged on her young son's arm impatiently; he was more interested in flapping his webbed feet in the deepest mud puddles he could find. Another cat person, a plump woman with yellow and cream-colored fur, stood in the doorway of her sweet shop, carefully out of reach of the rain. She smiled and stepped aside to greet a man with the face of a bulldog. Outside another shop, a man who had the head and wings of a hawk, wearing colorfully woven, beaded robes, stood and haggled over some carved woodcrafts with a grey-bearded human shopkeeper.

 

Zelgadis peered out from his hood at them; Xelloss could sense his nervous wonder. There weren't many places in the world where beast-people and ordinary humans congregated in such a friendly fashion, unless you counted the kind of outlaw gangs that attracted outcasts and oddities. Of course, Xelloss remembered, Zelgadis had been a part of just such a mixed group of outcasts when he was with Rezzo. That group had included Fishmen and a werewolf crossbreed, among other unusual specimens, but they were hardly the civilized, friendly people that he saw here in Wyndcliff.

 

In general, beast people had never fared well among humans, he reflected. Fish people tended to be as prejudiced against humans as humans were repulsed by them. Jillas' Red Fox Tribe had once been a large clan living near the edge of the southern desert, until they had been hunted and hounded almost to extinction by human men. The Hawk Tribe whose legends had brought them here were rarely seen by humans, except for those who were foolish enough to hunt in their territory along the Eyrie River, but hose unfortunate men usually returned to human society without their eyes, if they returned at all.

 

Whatever else they might discover here in Wyndcliff, a place where such a mixed group of people and creatures lived in harmony was a sort of magical discovery all to itself. It was no wonder, Xelloss reflected, that so few people knew of the place, or that people in a more worldly and ordinary town like Mystport thought there was something very strange about it.

 

They had climbed up several levels and were halfway to "the top of town," as the cat man had said, when they came in view of the grove of tall, dark evergreen trees he'd seen from a distance. Under the trees, he could now see a white wall, and over the top of the wall he caught another glimpse of the gilded roof he'd seen before. There was a gate in the middle of the wall, and the roof over the gate was intricately carved and painted with all kinds of fantastic creatures.

 

Xelloss recalled Rya trying to convince her friend that he and Zelgadis were only strangers from Wyndcliff - a beast man and a priest from a strange temple, she'd said. Herringull had mentioned a temple, too, as well as the ancient ruins. He wasn't surprised to see Zelgadis already eyeing the wall and gate curiously. It certainly did seem to be quite an elaborate temple for such a tiny village. Idly, he wondered which of the Dragon Lords it was dedicated to, or if it honored Ceiphied himself. Anything was possible in a backward little town like this, he thought, as they steered their way across the street toward the gate.

 

There was a gatekeeper sitting quite at his ease under the carved roof, leaning back in his chair with his feet up on a stump of wood that held an offering box. He was a short and rather round looking man, but his face was hidden behind the book that he was reading - a book with a familiar looking, brightly painted cover. He couldn't make it out, but it didn't seem to be the same picture as the one he carried. Xelloss grinned as he felt Zelgadis' irritation flare up again.

 

He opened his mouth to make an appropriately annoying comment when he was stopped short by a wave of pure, dark fury, so strong and familiar it almost made him moan out loud. Zelgadis had stopped in his tracks and stood glaring down at the man, who had peered up over the edge of his book when he noticed strangers approaching.

 

Before the gatekeeper could react, Zelgadis drew his sword and leaped forward. Xelloss blinked in surprise when he slashed the book out of the man's hands, sending pages fluttering out into the rain. In the next second, as the man's startled eyes nearly bugged out of his head, Zelgadis pounced on him with a cry of rage and knocked him backward off his chair. They landed with the man pinned against the wall behind him.

 

"My, my," Xelloss said. He felt nearly breathless with the force of Zelgadis' emotions, and amused as well, but puzzled. He knew Zelgadis wasn't happy about Martina's book but he wasn't sure why he was quite so enraged by the sight of one more ordinary person reading it.

 

"Zelgadis-san?" he said mildly. He walked up and peered over Zel's shoulder. The round-faced man quivered under his grip, blinking sweat out of his eyes as he stared up at the chimera's snarling face.

 

"Don't you remember this one, Xelloss?" Zelgadis growled through gritted teeth. "Perhaps not, but I certainly remember you!" He gave the man a fierce shake. "Deputy Shrine Keeper Marcus!"

 

"Z-z-Zelgadis-san!" The stumpy little man stuttered in a desperate attempt at a friendly greeting. "And, oh my, X-Xelloss-san! S-s-so glad to s-s-see you b-both - alive and w-well!" the man stammered. He shook like a leaf, but he tried to smile even though his teeth were chattering enough to shatter. "D-deeply regret we p-parted on such b-bad terms..."

 

Xelloss leaned in closer for a better look at the man. "Ah, I do seem to remember the face, now that you mention it," he said. "The one who led you away to the shrine, isn't it?"

 

"The one who said Mazoku aren't capable of feeling pain!" Zelgadis snarled. The tip of his sword blade nicked the Shrine keeper's chin. Marcus yelped, but then thought better of that and went still.

 

Xelloss let the man's fear and the tiny glint of pain wash over him, but that was nothing compared to the intense pleasure he felt in the aura of Zelgadis rage. He stood there beaming down at the two of them happily. It was one of the most wonderful things he'd ever felt.

 

"Wrong about that," Marcus wheezed after a few seconds of silence. He managed to nod his head a little, giving Xelloss a nervous little twitch of a smile. "Learned a l-l-lot about M-Mazoku since then...Think quite w-well of them now..."

 

"Liar!" Zelgadis hissed.

 

Marcus winced and closed his eyes for a second, then nodded again. He blinked up at them and smiled weakly at Zelgadis, but without much hope. Xelloss smiled back at him benevolently. He always recognized that intriguing shift of emotion that a man felt when he realized he was about to die. He could have stood there all day bathing in Zel's intoxicating rage, but even amid the bliss he was feeling, he still had just enough presence of mind to think of practical matters.

 

He put his hand on Zel's sword arm, gently holding him back. Zelgadis snapped his head around. His eyes blazed; he looked more like a demon than Xelloss had ever seen him look before.

 

"You had Zuller's life, Xelloss! This one is mine!"

 

"Of course!" Xelloss said mildly. "But before you kill him, I thought we might ask him where the other two Shrine Keepers are. Remember, Argo and Vargus escaped as well."

 

Zel frowned at him. Obviously he didn't care about the other Keepers at that moment. Impatiently, he turned back to Marcus and gave him another shake. "Well? Speak quickly, and I'll make your death quick as well. Otherwise, we'll find out if a Deputy Shrine Keeper can actually feel real pain..."

 

"I don't know!" Marcus squealed. "I swear it. I haven't seen either of them since I left the... that place! I don't want to, either. I want nothing to do with Sh-Shimeria any more! B-believe me! It was wrong..." he shook his head. For a moment, he seemed to be looking at something else, not at Zel's face or the sword pressed against his throat. His voice dropped almost to a whisper. "All wrong... I've seen it now..."

 

Xelloss sighed. "A shame. We'll just have to keep searching for the others, then."

 

He lifted his hand from Zel's arm and stepped back to give him room. "Even so, Zel-san, I suggest you make it swift. Too much screaming could bring us more attention than we might like, especially if you want to make friendly enquiries at this temple later."

 

Zelgadis hesitated. For a moment Xelloss thought the chimera's heart would be softened by Marcus' whimpering and his tears, but the rage within Zelgadis did not waver. Xelloss remembered all that Zelgadis had said that morning, and felt something inside his soul clench in a strange way when he realized how strongly the chimera had meant those words. Zelgadis had only paused to savor the moment - and to share it with him.

 

Rather than worrying whether Zelgadis would change his mind and release the man, Xelloss found himself a little concerned that he really didn't care how much Marcus screamed.

 

Zelgadis pulled Marcus up by the collar with one hand, and drew back his arm to plunge his sword into the man's chest. Marcus closed his eyes and went limp.

 

"Forgive me, Mother," he whispered.

 

Xelloss stared at him, startled. Something about the whispered plea cut through his haze of pleasure like a bright shard of light.

 

"Zelgadis!" The shout from a sharp female voice startled them both. " _Don't_ kill him!"

 

"Why not?" Zel snarled. His head snapped up and around, then he froze.

 

Xelloss turned toward the voice as well, and his jaw fell open in surprise. He barely recognized the voice, but there was no mistaking the glaring face or the wreath of wild, golden hair on the woman who stood in the temple gate.

 

"What!" Zelgadis gasped. "Kemara?"

 

"You cannot kill him, Zelgadis-san," Kemara said with all the stern certainty Xelloss recalled glimpsing in her, "because this place is Sanctuary. You stand on the threshold of the Temple of the Golden Lord, the Mother of All."

 

Zelgadis panted with rage, but he didn't move. Staring wide-eyed at her, Xelloss grabbed his arm and drew the sword away from Marcus. Zelgadis glared back at him, bewildered.

 

"Perhaps this is not the time or place, Zel-san," he said quietly.

 

His calm voice had more of an effect than Kemara's command. Although Zelgadis still radiated pure fury and he stared at Xelloss as if he'd gone mad, he dropped Marcus' collar and stepped back. The former Keeper sagged against the wall.

 

"Thank you," Marcus whispered shakily "Thank you... 'preciate it, really...."

 

Zelgadis stared speechlessly from Xelloss to Kemara for a few seconds. She glared back at each of them, bristling with anger at first, but then softened into a familiar smile.

 

"Xelloss-sama, Zelgadis-san! Welcome to Wyndcliff village and the Temple of the Golden Lord. Enter, if you wish. All beings are welcome here."

 

\---

to be continued...


	9. Through the Gate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelgadis begins to realize that he and Xelloss have stumbled into much more than a source of information on the Lost City as they enter the Temple of the Golden Lord.

_Flashback: Shimeria, five weeks ago_

 

Xelloss had often observed that a burning city made for a lovely sunset. However, even as burning cities went, the Crystal City was one of the most spectacular views he'd ever seen. Of course, this one had a special meaning for him that made it all the more beautiful.

 

He hovered high above the gate through which he and Zelgadis had entered the city only the day before. From there, he could watch the last rays of the sun slant across the Plain of Shimeria, giving a golden glow to the great cloud of smoke rising from the ruins of the Great Hall. The glow of sunset and fire made a bright ribbon of the Crystal River as it wound around the hill beneath him, a golden ribbon speckled with many black dots. In fact, there were so many boats and chunks of debris floating in the water that it was almost possible for the fleeing residents to walk across from the city to the plain. All the better for them, because the bridge on the High Road was burning beautifully as well.

 

The blackest smoke rose from near the center of the hill, where the crystal towers had already fallen to sparkling dust before Xelloss and his company had arrived. The earth cracked and trembled as the entire hill began to sink into the caves beneath the ground. Steam rose from many places as well, where fire and molten stone met the crystal springs that flowed underground.

 

With pure Mazoku pleasure, Xelloss watched the streams of people pour from the crumbling gates. Most of them headed for the river, while a few hardy souls scrambled over the steep northern and southern slopes to wander off into the barren plain. Even with the bridge burning and the High Road blocked, the river and the west road were still the most popular and practical ways out of town. The smaller roads to north and south were scored with pits and fissures in the ground, and they were also watched over by the small fleet of lesser Mazoku who had followed Xelloss back here a few hours ago. Even though many of them had been powerless victims of the Curse of Shimer a short while ago, now they were making the most of their returning strength. In fact, they were starting to get a little giddy on the panic and horror of the fleeing residents.

 

Occasionally one of the lesser Mazoku would pause to salute him as it flitted by, with a bow of the head or a wave of an appendage. He acknowledged their appreciation with a grin. It was an unfortunate but pleasant necessity that he was forced to take the credit for destroying the Shrine and freeing them from the Curse. They all knew he had nearly died in the process, and their happy work of destruction and terror here was a gift to help speed his recovery as well as their own. They wouldn't even allow him to help, insisting that he had already done his part.

He had to grin at that. The fact was that he had done very little to bring about this destruction, but they wouldn't even want to know that their lives and his had been saved by a human. The humans fleeing the ruined city did not know it either, although the ones who still called themselves Followers of Shimer would forever hate a certain stone-skinned chimera nearly as much as they hated all Mazoku.

 

Resting in midair to enjoy the work of the lesser Mazoku while his strength returned, Xelloss noticed one lone figure standing on the plain to the south of the City, standing still and looking back at the ruins. Most people didn't stop to look back, and few even risked a glance over a shoulder as they ran, but this one didn't seem to be afraid at all. In fact, Xelloss sensed no fear at all in the miasma that rose from the silent watcher, but there were plenty of other strong emotions. He detected clear strands of grief, shame, and regret, plus something else more positive that puzzled him. Relief? Elation?

 

He already had a guess who he would find when he drew closer, and he wasn't surprised to see that it was a buxom woman with a wild halo of golden hair, or that she stood straight with her head held high as she stared back at the ruins.

 

Under-Assistant Shrine Keeper in Training Kemara didn't flinch or even blink when he appeared suddenly standing beside her. He stared at her face for a moment, curious about the look in her eyes as she watched the city burn. She didn't turn to look at him.

 

"One day," she said after a long moment of silence, "shortly after I arrived and began my training here, I heard a scream, a horrible, inhuman sound, like nothing I'd ever heard before. It came from somewhere within the Great Hall. I was told it was nothing. Chief - " she stopped, pursed her lips, and then continued. "Zuller said I must have imagined it."

 

"Only once before?" he asked mildly, although his eyes narrowed dangerously.

 

She shook her head. "Only one scream. All the other times, there was only one."

 

A sudden blast of steam and sparks flew up into the darkening sky as another part of the Great Hall crumbled into the caverns below. Xelloss sensed a quiver of horror and disgust from her as she watched the column of smoke rise and catch the setting sun's gleam. Even though she watched the destruction of a place that had been her home, he guessed that her feelings were caused only by the sound echoing in her mind.

 

She was turning something over and over in her hands. At first he thought it was one of the fake relics she had worn, but then realized she held broken pieces of a real Relic. There was the thinnest trickle of Shimer's strange, woven magic still present in the pieces. She looked down at them.

 

"Did Zelgadis-san find his cure?" she asked softly.

 

That wasn't really what she was asking, he knew.

 

"He is in the care of friends," Xelloss said. "But he is still a chimera."

 

He sensed her relief. He was glad she didn't ask how this came to be; he was still a little in wonder about it himself. It certainly wasn't every day that a Mazoku saved a human's life, but then, it wasn't every day that a human saved a Mazoku's life, either. But even Kemara didn't realize who had really destroyed the shrine.

 

She raised her eyes back to the burning city, and stared at it silently for a while before she spoke again.

 

"Have you killed all the Keepers?" she asked.

 

"Not yet. But we will, when we find them." He smiled, but she didn't look at him.

 

"Then you're going to kill me?"

 

He cocked his head but didn't answer for so long that she finally turned toward him. He let her see his eyes wide open, and his smile. She didn't return his smile - she looked like she might never smile again - but she didn't flinch from his inhuman gaze.

 

"Well, you see," Xelloss said slowly, "I think the Mother of All might not approve if I were to kill one of Her shrine maidens."

 

She stared at him, unblinking in spite of the smoke that rolled down the slope from the city. After a minute she looked down at the broken pieces in her hands and nodded.

 

"All Beings have their place in this world," she said.

 

Kemara turned and walked away without looking at him again, stepping over debris and across the smaller cracks in the earth, heading south as darkness fell. Xelloss stood and watched the city burn on into the night. He didn't watch her go, and he never expected to see her again.

 

\---

# 

 

 _The present, Wyndcliff village_

 

\---

 

For several seconds after Kemara welcomed them, no one spoke or even moved - except Marcus, who quietly deflated into a relieved heap on the ground. Zelgadis felt rooted to the spot, frozen by the odd, chilling sound in Xelloss' voice. Then, slowly, hardly knowing what he was doing, he sheathed his sword and turned to Xelloss.

 

"Have you gone mad? Doesn't this go against your orders?" he snapped. "Since when does a Mazoku care about a human's command to preserve life?"

 

"Since it comes from the authority of a shrine maiden of the Golden Lord," Xelloss answered simply.

 

"But you said - " he broke off in confusion, turning to Kemara instead. "Isn't this your grandmother's temple? You said 'The Mother of All' - how is that...?"

 

"Perhaps you know Her better as the Lord of Nightmares," Kemara suggested lightly.

 

He wasn't mistaken, then - she really did mean _that_ Golden Lord. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xelloss' smile flicker, as if the casual mention of the name disturbed him. Kemara only looked amused, apparently by both of their reactions.

 

The fact that the temple was dedicated to the Lord of Nightmares was the only thing that made Xelloss' action make sense, and yet at the same time it didn't make any sense at all. The Demon Lord beyond all Demon Lords, the master even of Shabrinigdo - of course, Xelloss would have to answer to the command of that terrible being. But why would the ultimate lord of Mazoku issue a command to protect the life of a mere human?

 

"But if this temple is dedicated to the Lord of Nightmares, why did you stop me from killing him?" Zelgadis jerked his head over his shoulder toward Marcus without looking around. Xelloss glanced down at Marcus for a second, then back to Zel.

 

"Of course," he said very softly, so quietly that Zelgadis doubted the other two could hear him. "You really don't understand, do you, Zel-san, what happened to Phibrizo, or to Lina and Gourry - or even to Valgaav, for that matter! But don't you at least remember what Kemara said when she first mentioned her grandmother's temple back in Shimeria?"

 

Zelgadis did remember, but it still didn't make sense. Just as she'd said again a moment ago, all beings were welcome here and all life was revered. He remembered Xelloss' gesture of respect toward Kemara when she'd spoken of her grandmother's temple where even the lives of Mazoku were respected. It had surprised him then, but he'd been too distracted by other matters to give it much thought.

 

Now he remembered the only other time he'd seen a similar look of respect on Xelloss' face. The picture flashed into his mind as bright as the image on the cover of Martina's book, except that in his memory, Xelloss was not cowering in a corner but kneeling with his head bowed in priestly reverence.

 

"This is your grandmother's temple?" he asked. "Where all life is revered - even Mazoku?"

 

"Just as I said," Kemara answered, nodding. "My grandmother became High Priestess here, but she died while I was in Shimeria, so the title passed on to my mother. However, she prefers the art of gardening to the work of managing a temple, so the duties of the position have fallen to me."

 

"Then you are a High Priestess as well," Xelloss said. He sounded both pleased and impressed. "No longer either a Shrine Maiden or an Assistant Shrine Keeper in Training!"

 

"Well, at least I'm Acting High Priestess! As such, it is my honor to serve the Mother Of All," she added, with a mixture of reverence and pride.

 

"Mother of all?" Zelgadis echoed.

 

A shiver ran through him. It was hard to connect those words to the force for destruction that Hellmaster Phibrizo had intended to call upon in order to destroy the world, and yet, Phibrizo was the only one who had been destroyed by that force. Even Lina couldn't explain how she'd survived her encounter with that terrible force, but he remembered that she didn't seem as surprised as everyone else did to find herself alive and whole again.

 

Zelgadis felt just like he often did when Xelloss was teaching him some unfathomable fact of astral magic, as if he _knew_ and had always known this, and yet he could hardly comprehend the thought at the same time. It almost explained the strangeness of the fact that Marcus was still alive, trembling at his feet, but it still didn't quite make sense at all.

 

"Mother of All - source of all chaos - the creator of all life," he said wonderingly. He shook his head, which did nothing to clear it. "This can't be!"

 

"But it is, Zelgadis-san," Xelloss said. "It's rather embarrassing to admit that the Golden Lord is not only the creator and master of the Mazoku but of the Gods as well - not to mention all of you humans! Lina knew this; I believe she discovered it when she encountered the original Claire Bible, although I don't know exactly what it revealed to her. I was not aware, however, that many other humans knew the truth," he added. He cocked his head and looked to Kemara.

 

"Few learn of it, fewer still accept it as the truth, and those who do also learn that their knowledge is not welcome in the world," she answered. "If there is any other temple in our world that teaches as we do, I've never heard of it. I wasn't permitted to speak of it in Shimeria, of course, but that was to be expected there! However, even the Sorcerers' Guild doesn't recognize our existence and discredits our teachings."

 

"A shame, but hardly surprising," Xelloss said. From his tone of voice, Zelgadis was not sure he really thought it was a shame at all.

 

Zelgadis didn't know what to think. He still balked at the idea that the demonic being he'd always known as Lord of Nightmares was really the creator of everything, the source of all magic - from the healing magic of a Resurrection spell to the destructive force of a Blast Bomb. He could almost believe that Kemara's followers were as deluded as Shimer's, if it wasn't for Xelloss' behavior and the astonishing things he'd seen during his adventures with Lina Inverse. The memories made his spirit quiver.

 

"Lord of the dreams that terrify," a voice began to chant softly. "Blacker than blackest night, shining like gold up on the sea of chaos!"

 

To his further astonishment, Zelgadis realized the voice came from Marcus. Xelloss looked just as shocked as they turned around to see the former Deputy Shrine Keeper standing there, with a few pages from Martina's book clutched in his hands and a look of rapture on his face. He blinked as he realized they were all staring at him.

 

"What?" he asked Xelloss anxiously. "Didn't I say that right?"

 

Xelloss eyed the sheets of paper in his hand and scattered around his feet. "So, Martina-san did reveal this in Lina's story!" he said thoughtfully.

 

"Eh?" Marcus blinked again and looked down at the shredded book, but he shook his head. "This? Oh, no, that wasn't from this! I was just reciting one of the passages that describes Her, you see, from the lore I've learned here at the temple."

 

Xelloss looked as startled as Zelgadis felt.

 

"Those lines come from your teachings?" Zelgadis said. "But that -" He broke off as his mind started to race again. "Those words - Lina created her spell from those words, after she heard them..."

 

He saw Xelloss' eyes open wide in a flash of alarm, and his heart leapt excitedly, knowing they must be thinking of the same thing, though with entirely different reactions, as always.

 

"Oh dear," Xelloss said fretfully. "Of course, what better place than this?"

 

"Yes, indeed," Zelgadis said, grinning. "Lina said she heard those words from a man who got them from a Claire Bible manuscript, didn't she? What better place than this to find a copy of the Claire Bible?"

 

They stared at each other a moment longer. After all he'd said this morning, Zelgadis felt badly for putting himself between Xelloss and his duty again, but he couldn't resist the chance to look for a way to return himself to normal in the most famous magical document in the world. Almost from the moment he was cursed, the Claire Bible had been his greatest hope for returning his body to normal.

 

"I'm sorry, Xelloss, but it seems that we may be at cross-purposes again after all," he said, and then he turned to Kemara. "I came to Wyndcliff seeking ancient magic from the Lost City of Skye, but it never occurred to me that there might be a temple here that could have an even more important source of magical lore! If you have a Claire Bible manuscript here, I would very much like to see it!"

 

Kemara made an odd sound and bit her lip; from the look in her eyes, Zelgadis thought she must be holding back a burst of laughter over something that he'd just said. Her twinkling eyes nearly disappeared as her face scrunched in up a smile.

 

"As far as Skye is concerned, Zelgadis-san, we have every tale, legend, and local variation on the myth of the Lost City in our archives. You're certainly welcome to study them to your heart's content! The Asmalath family are great patrons of the temple; perhaps The Mala would be willing to open their library to you as well. I've heard they have a large collection of Skye lore there. Of course, he will do his best to convince you that their family descended from the Sorcerers of Skye, while our chief archivist will do his equal best to convince you that it is all a pretty fairy tale!"

 

"Like Professors Herringull and Plover," Zelgadis sighed. He guessed from her tone that she found the whole endless debate simply amusing. "Yes, I know what most people believe about Skye these days. It was Herringull herself who sent me here, if you care to know."

 

Kemara definitely looked amused by that. What Herringull or anyone else thought of Skye didn't matter as much to Zelgadis now.

 

"But what about the Claire Bible?" he asked insistently. "Do you have a manuscript here or not?"

 

"Certainly; we have some seventy or so fragments of various lengths and depths," she said, as casually as if she was saying they served tea at dinner. "You're welcome to study them as well. However, I should mention that, like most of our lore, they're manuscripts in name only. We keep to the old ways here, including the oral tradition of the Beast Tribes of the coast. One of our lore masters can recite the passages for you. If you wish, one of our scribes can copy it down for you as well - perhaps our newest scribe-in-training can do it."

 

She smiled at Marcus, who nodded eagerly and smiled.

 

"I'd be honored to," he said.

 

Zelgadis regarded him doubtfully. It was bizarre to think of Marcus having anything to do with something as important as the Claire Bible, even if his chant a moment ago had all the sincerity that his words had lacked in Shimeria. Zelgadis was not inclined to trust him, anyway. The smiling enthusiasm of the little man still made him uncomfortable. However, there could be a bigger problem than that to worry about.

 

He turned to Xelloss again with his eyebrows raised in question. It was such a familiar topic between them that he didn't need to say a word.

 

"Well, this is rather awkward," Xelloss admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Things have changed, of course, and it's no longer my primary duty to destroy the existing manuscript copies as it once was; and yet, if certain information is in those fragments, I would still be expected to act accordingly. However, even if that is the case, I can't really destroy a manuscript that only exists in the memory of a lore master without killing the lore master - and since I'm forbidden to kill within the temple, your Claire Bible is quite safe from me this time, Zel-san!" He sighed. "I only hope it doesn't contain the information you seek," he added quietly.

 

There was no way Zelgadis could stop the grin that stretched across his face, but he felt a pang of regret under his excitement. From what Xelloss had just said, this could be the best chance he'd ever had at finding what he sought without any untimely Mazoku interference. On the other hand, from the way Xelloss had said it and stood looking at him now, he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to find it.

 

Bewildered by all they'd stumbled upon, Xelloss' actions, and his own mixed emotions, Zelgadis couldn't think what to say. It was Xelloss who finally turned to Kemara with a smile.

 

"We accept your welcome, and request your leave to enter the Temple, Kemara-sama, High Priestess of the Golden Lord!"

 

Kemara had begun to look a little stern again when he spoke of destroying manuscripts, but her smile returned as Xelloss bowed to her graciously.

 

"We are honored to have you here, Xelloss-sama and Zelgadis-san," she said. She turned toward the gate, but looked back over her shoulder at her gatekeeper. "Aren't we, Marcus-san?"

 

"Oh! Yes!" Marcus bobbed up from where he had stooped to gather the scattered pages of his book. He held the soggy mass of them to his chest as he jumped up and hurried over to join them at the gate. "Very much so! Believe me, I'm sure you'll find this place much more to your liking than Shimeria. There are many others here who will be truly pleased to meet you both."  


"Indeed," Kemara said, half to herself. "And my brother would never forgive me if I let you pass by!"

 

Before Zelgadis could wonder about that, she paused under the gate and faced them.

 

"Of course, we gladly accept donations in kind from our students while they enjoy our hospitality," she said, beaming at them.

 

"Oh! Of course," Zelgadis said, embarrassed that he hadn't thought to offer anything. "We expected to pay for lodging at an inn, anyway." He reached for his purse, but Kemara held up her hand.

 

"While gold is certainly welcome," she said with her eyes sparkling, "our temple's stock in trade is lore. Some of our students work in the gardens or the kitchens, but we prefer to take payment in the form of stories and tales. I'm sure you both have plenty to spare of those!"

 

Zelgadis paused. It was true, he did have more stories than money, but he didn't relish the thought of sharing most of them, and certainly not of reciting them to a crowd of students or even to a lore master. He'd rather work in the gardens. Xelloss seemed happy with the idea, however.

 

"A bargain at any price, I'd say," he said cheerfully. "I imagine we can come up with a story or two for you while we're here, between the two of us!"

 

Zelgadis remembered that Xelloss could be quite an entertaining storyteller when he had a reason to be. He hoped that would satisfy their obligation enough so that he would be left alone to study.

 

"Just don't tell them any of your dragon jokes. You'll get us run out of town for certain," he muttered.

 

Kemara seemed satisfied with Xelloss' words as promise of payment. With one last smile and a slight bow, she turned and led them into the temple grounds.

 

Zelgadis sensed a change as soon as they passed under the carved gate and through the wall of evergreens. From the look of wonder on Xelloss' face, he knew the Mazoku felt it as well. The aura of the place was as calm as any shrine of the gods, but it also was charged with some subtle yet vibrant energy. It felt familiar, and yet it was different than any other sacred ground he'd stepped onto in the past. Within the boundaries of some temples, certain kinds of magic wouldn't work while other spells might be amplified. Here, he immediately had a feeling that anything was possible - although he also had a feeling that casting a spell might have unpredictable results.

 

As they passed through the ring of dark trees, Zelgadis concentrated for a moment on the astral side. It slipped into his reach more easily than usual, as if his spirit sense was heightened by the atmosphere of the place. He could feel Xelloss' familiar dark energy strongly; it seemed to resonate with the magical energy field that surrounded them.

 

His curiosity and excitement grew stronger as he pulled his awareness back to normal space. Xelloss was watching him out of the corner of his eye as they walked up the path behind Kemara. The Mazoku must have noticed his brief astral exploration.

 

"It seems that there are many avenues of magical exploration open to you here, Zel-san," he said.

 

"I hardly know where to begin," Zelgadis admitted.

 

"Really? I was certain you'd head straight for the Claire Bible manuscripts. As you've said before, searching for them has become a habit with you."

 

Zelgadis didn't answer. If the manuscripts held the answer he'd sought for so long, it would make all the other inquiries useless to him - and would probably put Xelloss and the magical energy he sensed here completely out of his reach. It would also make the words he'd said this morning meaningless, he thought suddenly.

 

"We'll see," he said, avoiding Xelloss' gaze.

 

Beyond the trees, Kemara led them out into a sloping garden that was filled with the bronze, orange and brown of late autumn. Stretching up the hill in front of them, the garden was criss-crossed by flights of stairs and covered walkways that rambled across the slope like a climbing rose bush gone wild. Like the numerous buildings they connected, the walkways and porches all had roofs painted gold that gleamed even in the rain, making the space within the trees seem bright in spite of the dark afternoon. All of the posts and walls were painted shining black, but many also had images carved or painted on them in eye-dazzling detail like the carvings on the gate. Zelgadis suspected that every kind of creature in the world was represented in the carvings.

 

As Kemara led them up a long flight of stairs, Zelgadis looked around the grounds curiously. A number of people, beast men and beast women among them, were scattered here and there, working in the gardens, walking between the many buildings, or gathered in small groups to talk. As they climbed higher, some took notice of them and left what they were doing to head for the same building Kemara must be bringing them to. He exchanged a glance with Xelloss.

 

"I never expected all of this. I thought we came here to get away from being noticed and recognized at every turn," he muttered. In spite the fact that half the people were beast folk, he itched to cover his face and pull up his hood.

 

"Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case,'' Xelloss said. "I agree, it's awkward to be so famous, but at least the people here may know us as something other than characters in a fairy tale or destroyers of their sacred shrine. And consider the fact that we are also protected here within the sanctuary of the temple as well, if any other Soldiers of Shimer happen to be appear."

 

"You may feel you have to abide by the command of the High Priestess of the Golden Lord, Xelloss, but what makes you think they would feel obligated to do the same?" Zelgadis asked.

 

"Only that they would be fools if they didn't," Xelloss answered with a smile that gave Zelgadis a chill down his spine

 

He might have been referring only to Kemara's commanding voice and stern gaze, but remembering his last glimpse of Phibrizo, who had been the most fearsome Mazoku Lord in the world only moments before, Zelgadis thought Xelloss might mean something else entirely.

 

"Warn me if you see that I'm about to say or do anything that might offend the Lord of Nightmares, please?" he said, only half jokingly.

 

"You might begin by using a more respectful tone when you speak of Her," Xelloss suggested sharply.

 

Zelgadis realized he'd bristled like that every time the familiar title had been mentioned lately. Lina seemed to get away with it, but then, Lina got away with quite a lot that no one else would dare. He made a note to himself to avoid using that phrase quite so casually in the future, if only for Xelloss' comfort.

 

That made him wonder about something else. He remembered what Lina had said on the day they left Seyruun.

 

"Xelloss, how do you feel about being here? I mean to say, if everyone here accepts and welcomes you as a Mazoku, is that unpleasant for you or isn't it?"

 

"Ah," Xelloss said thoughtfully. He looked at the little group of smiling and curious people that had gathered in front of the building they approached. Others stood on walkways nearby, leaning over the rails to get a look at them. He cocked his head as if listening to the murmur of their voices. "That's an interesting question, now that you mention it."

 

From the little smile on his lips, Zelgadis decided he couldn't be minding the attention too much. In fact, Xelloss seemed more comfortable than he felt at the moment. He hoped they would all find the Mazoku so interesting that they would ignore him for once.

 

Kemara reached the first of the group ahead, a thin young man who appeared quite human except for his flat ears and lizard-like tail. She spoke to him quickly, and they both looked around in all directions, as if seeking someone in particular. The boy shrugged and gestured toward the south end of the temple grounds, and Kemara waved him off apparently to search in that direction. Then she turned back to meet him and Xelloss at the entrance to a wide verandah that stretched all across the front of a long hall.

 

"I hope you don't mind," she said apologetically. "I was hoping to wait and introduce you at dinner so you'd have a chance to settle in first, but as you can see, you've already attracted quite a bit of curiosity. I'll introduce you briefly now, and then have Marcus take you to your lodgings, if you like. Fortunately, several of our students have gone home for the winter, so several of our guest houses are available." She gave Zelgadis a quick glance up and down, with a twinkle barely visible in her smiling eyes. "The house I have in mind for you is relatively private, and has its own bath."

 

Zel blushed. He'd forgotten about his coating of mud, and wished she hadn't reminded him just before introducing them to a crowd. Xelloss tittered behind his hand.

 

"That's so very generous of you, Kemara-sama!" he said. "I take it these people already know who we are, but I have to wonder, just how much do they know about us?"

 

"Yes," Zelgadis said, trying to set his embarrassment aside. "It would be nice to know what they're expecting before we meet them face to face."

 

Kemara nodded. "Most of them have heard the tales from Shimeria, not only the official version but what Marcus and I have told them as well - which is not all that we know." It seemed to Zelgadis that a shadow crossed her face, quickly replaced by her sparkling grin as she went on. "Also, many of us have read Queen Martina's books as far as they've gone, but we've also speculated quite a bit on just how true her story is. Besides your own stories, people here have been interested in Lina Inverse ever since the rumor began to come around that she'd managed to destroy a portion of Lord Ruby Eye. We thought, you see, that she would need to call on a greater power to accomplish that, and there is only one power greater than his in the world!"

 

Xelloss looked impressed. "Ah, of course, you would find Lina Inverse quite as interesting as Hellmaster-sama and the rest of us did, wouldn't you?"

 

Kemara nodded but she frowned. "Actually, I was in Shimeria when those rumors were going around, so I only heard the details recently." She shook her head, as if to shake off the thought of Shimeria. "Well, the sooner we get this little welcome ceremony over with, the sooner I can get you settled in so you can begin your research," Kemara said.

 

She excused herself and went to speak to an elderly Hawk man who had just emerged from the building to join the small group on the porch. Zelgadis wondered if he was the archivist she'd mentioned; a Hawk man would have reason to be skeptical about Skye, since the tribe's own legends claimed a more lofty origin. A short woman with yellow eyes and leathery black wings sprouting from her shoulders stood next to him, listening just as intently to Kemara. Her animated, cheerful face was in direct contrast to his dour expression, and quite at odds with her bat-like appearance. Kemara glanced back over her shoulder, and they both followed her gaze to look at him for a moment before nodding to Kemara.

 

Zelgadis tried not to cringe at the attention. Xelloss patted his arm reassuringly.

 

"She said something about a bath after all this, didn't she?" he said in Zel's ear. "I should help you remove all that mud and dirt, since it's all my fault you're wearing it in the first place! Perhaps if you think ahead to that it will help get this over with more easily."

 

Zelgadis thought of it - briefly - and immediately wished he hadn't. The idea of the two of them immersed in hot water, with Xelloss' hands wandering all over the stony crevices of his skin to wash the dirt off..... He groaned as quietly as he could manage.

 

"Xelloss, you - !" he muttered. Of course the damn Mazoku priest knew exactly the effect his words would have. Zel gritted his teeth and tried to distract himself by thinking of the Claire Bible instead. Unfortunately, the idea of listening to a recitation rather than holding an actual manuscript in his hands lacked a certain tangible appeal, especially compared to being skin-to-skin with Xelloss. He glared at Xelloss, who only smiled back with infuriating innocence. Rather desperately, Zel yanked his mind out of the bath again and back on to the crowd at hand.

 

He spotted Marcus, who had hurried past them and gone right over to a dark haired man wearing a black tunic and trousers. With his long nose, black eyes, and sharp, aristocratic face, the other man had a rather hawk-like appearance. He was certainly not a beast person, but he made Marcus appear even more mousy than usual by comparison. They were near enough that Zel's sharp ears caught their words as Marcus held out the ruined book.

 

"I'm sorry about your book, Kervan," he said. "But it could have been worse! They came here to kill _me_ , you know!"

 

The irritation Xelloss had ignited flared up, focused on the little shrinekeeper instead. He scowled and stepped over to them. Kervan looked up and met his eyes with a cool gaze, but seeing Zel's face, Marcus took a nervous sidestep to put himself behind the other man's shoulder, as if he thought Kervan might protect him. Judging from Kervan's disinterested expression, Zelgadis wasn't sure that was a reasonable assumption.

 

"Actually, Marcus," Zelgadis said with an unfriendly smile, "You're not the reason I came here at all! I've come to Wyndcliff on quite a different quest, and finding you here was an accident - a happy accident, I thought, until Xelloss stopped me from killing you. Too bad; if it wasn't for that book being in my way at first, he wouldn't have had the chance."

 

Kervan's eyebrows shot up. For a moment, he stared at Zelgadis as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.

 

"You see, Marcus, I've told you not to take everything so personally! It isn't all about you, you know."

 

"You mean, you aren't hunting us shrinekeepers, then?" Marcus said. He almost sounded disappointed, but then he brightened up. "Well, then, that's all right! Just a little misunderstanding, hm?"

 

Zelgadis glared at him. Kervan chuckled again, and then, to Zel's astonishment, he reached back and put his arm around Marcus' shoulder.

 

"Thank you for not killing Marcus, whatever the reason happens to have been," he said, smiling with surprising warmth. "As annoying as he is, I'm afraid my life would become too dull to imagine without him in it. A book can be replaced easily enough." He looked down at Marcus, still smiling, with a touch of fondness in his dark eyes. "Marcus is one of a kind, however -which is undoubtedly a good thing!"

 

Marcus beamed up at him, suddenly looking more confident than Zelgadis had ever seen him, in spite of the rather backhanded compliment. Now that Marcus wasn't cringing, Zelgadis realized he wasn't really as short as he always appeared; he and Kervan were eye to eye.

 

"Zel-san?" Xelloss had appeared at his shoulder. He eyed Marcus and his friend curiously from under his bangs. Kervan gazed back at him for a moment with an odd expression. He opened his mouth to speak when Kemara's voice drew their attention.

 

Zelgadis found himself and Xelloss standing next to her in the center of a circle of a dozen or so people, with several more near enough to hear her on the walkways nearby. She looked around at all of them with all of the dignity she'd tried so hard to maintain in Shimeria; here, it seemed to come naturally. Xelloss smiled, although he kept this head down and his eyes hidden for the moment, probably out of habit, Zelgadis thought - unless it was a gesture of respect toward all of these people who served in the temple.

 

Zelgadis had a familiar urge to sink into the floor boards and out of sight; he hated crowds, especially a crowd that was staring right at him. But this was a crowd of people who served none other than the Lord of Nightmares - the Golden Lord, he corrected himself mentally. He wondered what kind of people they must be to comprehend a Being whom even Xelloss held in awe, and what knowledge some of them might have. For once, he found himself curious enough to stare right back at them.

 

\---

to be continued, as Xelloss and Zelgadis meet more of the odd residents of the Temple of the Golden Lord and begin to hear some intriguing legends of ancient magic.

 


	10. Myona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelgadis and Xelloss learn a forgotten bit of ancient mazoku lore when they meet Kemara's little brother.

 

Kemara may have been only acting as High Priestess in place of her mother, but it was clear to Zelgadis that the people of the Temple held her in high esteem. In spite of their obvious curiosity, they watched her rather than staring at him and Xelloss, and waited respectfully for her to speak. 

 

"My friends, I can see that you're wondering about our latest arrivals," she began. "I expect many of you have already guessed their names, which are well known to most of us here. You all know it's our custom to introduce our guests at the evening meal, but since some of you obviously can't wait for that, I'll do so now. I'll be brief; after all, I know many of you have duties to attend to before dinner!" 

 

Several people in the small crowd grinned sheepishly and shuffled their feet. Her eyes twinkled with good humor as her gaze swept over them. However, for a second, Zel saw her scan the crowd again quickly with her lips pursed. Evidently she still didn't see someone she hoped to see, since she gave a little shrug and stopped searching. He wondered if it was her mother that was missing, or perhaps the brother she'd mentioned. He certainly didn't see anyone in the group who resembled her in any way. 

 

"Now, then, if our honored guests will excuse the informality," Kemara said, turning to him and Xelloss. "As acting High Priestess, it is my duty and pleasure to welcome you, Zelgadis Greywords and Xelloss of the Mazoku, to the Temple of the Golden Lord!" 

 

Her gold and black robes rustled as she bowed formally to them. Xelloss looked startled at being introduced so openly, but after a moment he returned her bow with priestly dignity, and then lowered his head to the watching residents as well. Zelgadis bowed more stiffly, hoping his embarrassed blush was not too noticeable. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some of those watching nod as formally as Xelloss did, while several others grinned as if their suspicions had been conformed. As far as he could see, no one looked surprised. 

 

"Zelgadis-san and Xelloss-sama have come to Wyndcliff to study ancient magic," Kemara continued. "They'll be staying with us as guests and students for a while, and I'm sure you will all honor them with the same respect that we give to all of our seekers here. In return, I hope they will honor us with some stories of their own adventures." 

 

There were general murmurs of interest at that, and several faces lit up at the mention of stories. 

 

"Zelgadis-san has a particular interest in the origin stories of the Seven Tribes. I ask those of you who have special knowledge of the lore of the Tribes to assist him in his search. Marcus-san has already agreed to act as scribe for them while they're here with us." 

 

Marcus beamed, but Kervan's eyebrows shot upwards again and he looked at Marcus as if he'd just done something perfectly bizarre. Zelgadis' sharp ears heard him mutter to Marcus: "That sounds suspiciously like work; are you sure you're up for it?" 

 

There were murmurs of interest, smiles and nods of sympathy within the crowd. Zelgadis supposed that if they had heard Kemara's story of his quest in Shimeria, many of them could guess what he was seeking here as well. The hawk man gave him a sharp look from under his heavy brows; he didn't appear to be smiling - then again, it would be hard to tell if he was with that mean-looking hooked beak. But he dipped his head as if to acknowledge Kemara's request. Zelgadis noticed that she hadn't mentioned Skye by name. 

 

He found it a little disturbing to have his quest so well known to so many strangers, and apparently he wasn't the only one. Xelloss shuffled at his side. 

 

"They know you better than I do, it appears," he murmured with a frown. "I should have guessed the reason for your interest in the Beast Tribes and Skye from the start, but these people seem to understand it already." 

 

Zelgadis couldn't tell if he was being facetious or not. 

 

"I won't try to introduce all of you by name just now," Kemara said, "but I'm sure you'll have a chance to speak with Xelloss-sama and Zelgadis-san while they're here. I'll ask you all once again to respect the privacy of our guests, and try not to overwhelm them by all introducing yourselves at once and asking for stories! And now, as I said, many of us have duties to attend to." 

 

She waved her hand. Most of them took the hint immediately, and turned away with hardly another glance, now that their initial curiosity was satisfied. Kervan, however, did not appear to have any other duties at the moment. With poorly concealed interest, he remained behind with Marcus, who stood nearby waiting to begin his new job. The tall hawk man walked past them toward the steps they'd climbed, and once again nodded his head, not so much at them as to Kemara. The bat woman followed him, flashing a brilliant, very un-bat-like smile as she passed. 

 

"That's Spearos-sama, the temple's head archivist," Kemara said after he'd left. "Formidable scholar, rather intimidating to students and residents alike, but he's a font of knowledge about the Tribes, and also about Skye in spite of his skepticism. He's actually quite susceptible to flattery, by the way," she added with a grin. 

 

"That's helpful to know," Xelloss said cheerfully. "Is the woman with him a scholar also?" 

 

"His assistant and personal scribe, Druvilla," Kemara answered. "She's much more open-minded than he is, but they work well together. Between them, I think they know every story concerning the Seven Tribes that's ever been told! I'm sure you'll find them both very helpful. Spearos doesn't live here on the temple grounds, though; he's probably leaving for the night, but he's here early every morning. I'll introduce you properly tomorrow. We don't stand on ceremony much here, but Spearos is quite old fashioned about these things. For now, Marcus can bring you to your house where you can wash up before you join us at the evening meal, if you like," she said. 

 

Marcus fairly bounced over to them, eager to do his duty. Zelgadis tried not to scowl at him too threateningly, if only for Kemara's sake. Just as Marcus turned to lead them toward another flight of stairs at the far end of the veranda, Zelgadis heard a pair of footsteps hurrying, almost running toward them from the other direction. Xelloss cocked his head as if he was listening for some other sound, or catching an interesting scent on the wind. 

 

Kemara turned quickly. Zelgadis couldn't tell if her sigh was one of relief or impatience, or a mixture of both, but she smiled as two boys emerged from the columned walkway onto the veranda. The first was the lizard boy he'd seen her speak to earlier, who also looked relieved when he saw their group still standing there. Out of breath from running, he shrugged and threw up his hands to Kemara. 

 

A dark haired boy in fine but bedraggled clothes came into view behind him. Zelgadis' first impression of him was of huge, deep eyes staring up at them from a pale face. He slowed his steps, and then stopped completely, with his eyes growing perfectly round as he looked from them to Kemara and back again. 

 

"Finally," she said under her breath. She turned to them with a smile, but Zelgadis noticed her twisting her hands together. He'd never seen her fidget like that before. "Zelgadis-san, Xelloss-sama, I'd like you to meet my little brother, Myona." 

 

"Oh?" Xelloss said with new interest. 

 

Surprised, Zelgadis took another look at the boy. He looked about fifteen, some ten years younger than Kemara, he guessed - tall enough to be a year or two older than that but awkward looking enough to be even younger. Even besides the age difference, though, Myona could hardly have been any more unlike his sister. He was as thin as she was buxom, as pale as she was rosy cheeked, and instead of her bright bouncy halo of golden hair, dark curls framed his delicate face. But most striking of all was the difference in their eyes. Kemara's sparkling eyes nearly disappeared when her face crinkled up in a smile, which was often, but Myona's deep blue eyes seemed shadowed, as if joy had never touched them. 

 

Myona took a few more cautious steps towards them, his bare feet hardly making a sound on the wooden floor. He stared as if he was awestruck. 

 

"Myona, honey, come and see who's here to stay with us for a while!" Kemara said. She sounded like she was trying to coax a shy animal out of its den. 

 

She didn't introduce them by name, but from the look of wonder that spread across Myona's face, it wasn't necessary. Evidently he could smile, after all, but if anything it only made his eyes look sadder. 

 

"Oohhh," Myona breathed. He gave a jerky little bow in Zel's direction. "Zelgadis-sama!" 

 

Awkwardly, Zelgadis bent toward him in return, uncertain if he should smile or be on his most serious behavior with this serious looking young man. 

 

Then Myona focused on Xelloss. He stopped moving as if he was frozen in place. 

 

"And," he said slowly in a near whisper, "Xelloss-dono!" 

 

"Eh?" Xelloss blinked in surprise. 

 

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow at him " ' Xelloss-dono'?" he echoed skeptically. " _Lord_ Xelloss?" 

 

To his delight, Xelloss was completely flustered. Not only was the form of the title odd and old fashioned; apparently it was beyond even Xelloss' pretended dignity. Even Kemara seemed to think so. 

 

"Myona, hon, that's not - oh, dear!" 

 

She broke off in dismay as Myona dropped to his knees. His brief smile vanished; he lowered his head and spread his arms out toward Xelloss like a supplicant before a master. 

 

"Now, now, this is not..." Xelloss began, taking a step toward him with an embarrassed glance at Kemara. He stopped suddenly; a look of surprise crossed his face, growing into a smile of bliss as if he suddenly felt or sensed something wonderful. 

 

Zelgadis stared down at Myona. He couldn't see the boy's face; Myona had drawn in his arms and hunched over with his forehead nearly touching the floor. But he heard a soft whimper that sounded like fear, and saw the thin shoulders trembling. Zel realized he must have suddenly remembered what Xelloss actually was. However accepting of Mazoku Kemara might be, her younger brother was obviously terrified of them. 

 

Xelloss stood looking at Myona with a crooked, pained expression, as if he was torn between bliss and distress. Bliss quickly won: Xelloss closed his eyes and smiled. As far as Zelgadis could tell, Xelloss hadn't done anything to cause the boy's reaction, but it was clear enough that he was enjoying it just the same. 

 

Zelgadis scowled and hissed Xelloss' name, but the Mazoku took no notice of him. He stepped between the two of them, even though he knew that wouldn't do anything to block the miasma flowing from the young human. 

 

Kemara rushed over to kneel beside her brother. "Myona-chan, no! It's okay, hon... Oh, not again, please!" she begged, panic edging her voice. "It's all right Myona, they're friends! They're not going to hurt us, you should know that - " 

 

Suddenly, Myona's shoulders stopped shaking and drooped instead. He sighed as he turned his head to peer up at her. 

 

"Kemara!" he hissed, barely loud enough for Zelgadis to hear. "You're ruining it!" 

 

She drew back as if he'd given her a shock. "What?" 

 

He rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to be a High Priestess! Don't you even know the proper ritual greeting for a high-ranking Mazoku?" 

 

Her jaw fell open. He pursed his lips and sighed again. 

 

"You're embarrassing, sis!" he muttered softly. 

 

Zelgadis' jaw had dropped as well; he snapped it shut and turned to Xelloss. The Mazoku priest's smile had spread all across his face, and his violet eyes gleamed darkly, but his eyebrows shot up as if he was just as surprised as Kemara. He barely glanced at Zel with a hint of a shrug, before stepping past him to crouch in front of Myona. The boy looked up at him anxiously. He seemed worried now, but certainly not terrified. 

 

"My, my," Xelloss said, "You needn't worry, Myona-san! That was quite the most splendid greeting I've ever received in all of my years among humans!" 

 

He took Myona's hand and coaxed him to sit up. Myona's eyes grew even wider, but he allowed Xelloss to help him to his feet. 

 

Zelgadis realized what Myona's "ritual greeting" must have been: a deliberate blast of dark emotion, pure terror by the look of it. He'd called the feeling up within himself and offered it to Xelloss as a gift, just as the host of the house might offer a delicacy to a visiting nobleman. Apparently, Myona's greeting had indeed been splendid. Zelgadis was suddenly aware of Xelloss' spirit pulsing with pleasure, swelling with the sudden influx of dark emotional energy. 

 

In fact, he was all too aware of Xelloss' presence, in a way that triggered a wave of warmth in his own body. Sensing Xelloss so strongly like this was even more distracting than the thought of that bath had been, and considering the circumstances, much more disturbing. But it was also nearly irresistible - suddenly, it was all he could do not to reach out to Xelloss and draw closer to that familiar power. 

 

Kemara, however, did not appreciate Myona's ritual greeting as much as Xelloss did. She pressed her hand over her heart as she stood up. 

 

"Myona, you scared the life out of me! I thought you were - " She paused to catch her breath, but when she began again, sisterly concern turned to equally sisterly irritation over being made to worry. "Must you get so carried away with things all the time, Myona? And can you please try to have a little more dignity?" 

 

Relieved of her fear for him, she seemed to notice the state of his clothing for the first time. She huffed impatiently as she brushed at the dirt and grass stains on his shirt, and plucked at his tousled hair. Zelgadis saw that Myona's bare feet were brown with mud, and one of the sleeves of his fine linen shirt was torn. Compared to her robed dignity, he looked like a street urchin. 

 

Myona ignored her attempt to clean him up, and instead he looked up at Xelloss. 

 

"But it's true, isn't it?" he asked, shy but eager. "That's how people used to greet Mazoku in the old days, before they knew magic? Grandmother told us it was." 

 

Kemara stopped fussing over him and raised her eyebrows. 

 

"I don't really know," Xelloss answered. "It may have been, but that was long before my day! Certainly no one offers us a welcome like that in these times." 

 

Zelgadis remembered what Xelloss had said a few days before, when he'd suggested that primitive humans might have offered dark emotions to Mazoku in their rituals, before they learned to harness that energy into spells such as Summoning. At the time, Zelgadis thought he was only speculating or repeating a Mazoku legend - or, just as likely, making it up on the spot - but now it seemed that Myona had heard the same tales. Zelgadis frowned. He found that disturbing, not only because it shed more doubt on the existence of Skye, but for other reasons as well. 

 

The family resemblance between the siblings became clearer when Myona caught his lower lip in his teeth in a familiar gesture, looking as if he wanted to say something more but couldn't bring himself to do it. After a few seconds, Kemara spoke instead. 

 

"Myona is a very enthusiastic collector of the ancient legends, especially any stories that concern the Mazoku before the War of the Dark Lord's Resurrection. Our grandmother indulged his interest, and now he lets his imagination run away with him sometimes, I'm afraid!" 

 

"That's quite all right, Kemara-sama," Xelloss said. "I'd like to hear more of these ancient tales myself! But I'm also quite surprised. Did your grandmother really know many stories about Mazoku?" 

 

Myona glanced up at his sister eagerly, as if he was ready to begin reciting all that he knew right then and there. Kemara's expression softened, and for a moment, Zelgadis thought she was going to indulge him, but she shook her head. 

 

"As a matter of fact, Myona knows many, many such tales," she said dramatically, causing her brother to grin and blush a little. "Many which even our own sages don't fully understand, and many which are not to be believed. But they will all have to wait, for now, Xelloss-sama! It's nearly dinner time, and I'm sure you'd like some time to refresh yourselves before the meal." 

 

"Yes," Xelloss agreed immediately, but still smiling at Myona. "Zel-san and I should wash up after our day of travel - Zel-san, especially!" 

 

Zelgadis glared at Xelloss; he did not need to be reminded of that bath at the moment. The grin on Xelloss' face was even wider than it usually was when he was teasing; Zel was afraid the Mazoku was a little bit giddy from Myona's greeting. 

 

Myona sighed, rather dramatically. Kemara stepped back from him but pinned him with her gaze. 

 

"Since you've been lured down from your usual perch, little brother, you can attend to your duties for once and help out in the kitchen for a little while. After  _you_ wash up, that is! Later, perhaps you can politely ask Xelloss-sama and Zelgadis-san to hear some of your stories, and you can hear some of theirs."

 

"But, sis!" he protested softly. He looked to Xelloss, but whether it was from respect for Kemara or for some other reason, Xelloss shook his head. 

 

"Zelgadis-san and I will be staying here for some time, so we'll have plenty of opportunities to share our stories, Myona-san," he said. "For the moment, it's best we all obey the word of the High Priestess!" 

 

"Quite right," Kemara said briskly. But she smiled indulgently as she nudged Myona by the shoulder, pushing him gently but firmly toward the building before them. He slumped the few steps toward the door, but then he turned and peered up at Xelloss with his sad-eyed smile. 

 

"Dream Master-sama said you'd like hate and anger best, but I can't do those as well," he said softly. "I'm sorry." 

 

Before anyone could respond, he disappeared through the door. 

 

Kemara bit her lip as she watched him go. Her irritation had completely disappeared, but so had her smile. For a moment, Zelgadis glimpsed some of Myona's sad look in the worry in her eyes, but she forced it aside and turned back to them with a smile. 

 

"I'm very sorry, Xelloss-sama," she said again. "I had no idea Myona would do that when he saw you! Our grandmother meant well, but she gave him some rather strange ideas." 

 

"Do you mean to say that she made up the stories about a ritual greeting?" Zelgadis asked. 

 

"I don't know if she made them up or not," Kemara answered. "Myona was ill with nightmares when he was younger, always terrified that monsters were chasing him. She told him he should turn around and offer the monster his fear, and it would become his protector instead. True or not, he took it to heart. At least, it stopped him from having any more nightmares," she added, although she sounded doubtful about the method of the cure just the same. 

 

"Who is this Dream Master Myona spoke of?" Xelloss asked. 

 

She hesitated for a moment before she answered. "No one. It's something he made up out of the stories he's heard." 

 

"The monster he made friends with in his nightmares?" Zelgadis suggested. 

 

"I suppose so," she nodded. 

 

"Like Princess Martina and her personal demon lord, Zoalmagustave!" Xelloss said with a grin. 

 

Kemara twisted her hands together again, looking at both of them anxiously. 

 

"I shouldn't ask this of you, but if you wouldn't mind listening to his stories - he makes a lot of them up out of things he's heard, so they aren't proper lore, but - the truth is, he hardly ever talks to anyone but this Dream Master, and to me." 

 

"Indeed," Kervan said. "That's the most I've heard him speak in all the time I've been here!" 

 

Zelgadis had forgotten about the others on the porch. Marcus and the lizard boy stood nearby, shuffling their feet nervously, but the lizard boy also nodded, agreeing with Kervan's comment. Unlike them, though, Kervan seemed intrigued by what they'd just seen, and watched Xelloss with an odd smile. 

 

"I certainly don't mind listening to Myona's tales," Xelloss said to Kemara. He caught Zel's eye with a questioning look. 

 

"Yes, I'd be interested as well," Zelgadis found himself saying. He wasn't really interested in stories about yet another imaginary demon lord, but he supposed there might be something else of interest, especially in the parts of the stories that came from Kemara's grandmother, the former High Priestess of the Temple. At any rate, he could not easily ignore Kemara's concern for her brother. 

 

She smiled gratefully at both of them. Then all at once she became the Acting High Priestess again as she stepped back and looked around at the others. 

 

"Well, then," she said. "Marcus, you are officially relieved of your duties as midday gatekeeper as of this moment. Gekki, you may take Marcus' place starting tomorrow, if you would. Run down to the gate now and see if Envis has any instructions for you, please." 

 

The lizard boy's face lit up. "Thank you, Kemara-sama!" he said in a soft, accented voice. With a flick of his forked tongue, he bowed to her and then headed down the stairs. 

 

Kemara gestured Marcus to come over to them. 

 

"Now, finally, Zelgadis-san, Xelloss-sama!" she said. "If there are no further interruptions, Marcus-san can finally show you to your lodgings!" 

 

\--- 

 

Zelgadis could hardly pay enough attention to follow the way Marcus led them, up and down stairs and along covered walkways, toward what Marcus called the students' lodgings. He was not only distracted by the confused thoughts of all he'd seen and heard since finding Marcus at the temple gate, but by his awareness of Xelloss, which increased with every step. The Mazoku priest walked along the covered walkways beside him with his head slightly bowed and a small smile on his lips. From the look of that smile, Zelgadis guessed that Xelloss was still pleased and amused by Myona's greeting. 

 

He certainly hoped that there weren't many others at the Temple who knew the same stories Myona had heard. It would be distracting, to say the least, to have people greeting Xelloss with a rush of emotional energy like that at every turn. He knew - or at least, he hoped - that Xelloss' pleasure was simply due to the rush of energy Myona's offering had given him, like getting a burst of energy from a sugar treat. Unfortunately, Xelloss' surging reaction to his sugar rush hit Zelgadis like a candy laced with aphrodisiac. 

 

For some reason, he was irritated with Xelloss for enjoying what was obviously meant to be enjoyed, even now that he knew Myona hadn't suffered any harm from it. He didn't know why he should be. The fact that it had made him so intensely aware of Xelloss now that he hardly knew where he was going - that wasn't really Xelloss' fault any more than it was Myona's. 

 

They finally left the covered walks and passed through a hedge that separated the main temple grounds from a miniature village. A dozen tiny, two-room houses of wood and stone encircled a green with a pond. The soft trickle and gurgle of several streams that poured down from the mountains behind Wyndcliff village added to the soft patter of the rain on grass and trees. It all seemed to increase the peaceful aura of the place, but it wasn't enough to settle Zelgadis' mind at the moment. He tried to follow Marcus' chatter as he pointed out the house that would be theirs, an ancient but well-kept cottage with a thatched roof and mystic runes carved on the door posts. 

 

The runes finally caught Zelgadis' attention for a moment. He paused to study them with Xelloss reading over his shoulder. They were an archaic style of writing, once part of a common language but now used only by scholars and priests. Uncertainly, he read them off aloud. 

 

"Soul and mind may meet, within the void, where mystery becomes the source of wisdom." He turned to Xelloss. "Is that how you read it?" 

 

"Nearly so," Xelloss said. "I would have said 'unknowing' rather than mystery. Or perhaps, unknowable." 

 

"What good is unknowable wisdom?" Zelgadis wondered. 

 

"Is that what it says?" Marcus said curiously, peering between them at the door post. "I thought it was just 'Welcome home!'" 

 

Zelgadis glared at him. "Aren't you a scribe?" 

 

"In training!" Marcus said defensively. "And I'm not being trained to write in a language hardly anyone can read, anyway; I mean, why bother?" 

 

He had a point, much as Zelgadis hated to admit it. "Just show us our lodgings, will you?" he muttered. 

 

The main room in the cottage was furnished only with a table, a desk, a lamp, and two chairs - all that was needed to study and perhaps to eat a meal now and then, Zelgadis thought. Through a door to the side he glimpsed the second of their two rooms, which held a chest and a single, wide bed. He turned away quickly, trying not to notice Xelloss' quick grin. 

 

"You can have more furniture brought in if you need it," Marcus chattered on, fortunately oblivious to both Xelloss' grin and Zel's blush. "Kervan's lined our walls with bookshelves and has a couch by the fire. There's a pump out back, although the streams are fresh enough. Oh, and the bath is back this way." 

 

He led them out a back door and across a little yard to a wooden bathhouse. It was probably meant to be shared with the house next to theirs, Zelgadis noted, but that one seemed to be unoccupied. Rather than a pump or well, the bath was filled by a trough that could be moved to redirect water from one of the streams. The fire pit beneath the bath was ready to be lit, but Zelgadis barely glanced at it. He didn't need to wait for that to heat the bathwater to his liking when a simple fire spell would do the job much more quickly. 

 

Behind the bath, there was a sort of alcove carved into the rock wall, with a smooth stone floor and a reed screen that could be unfolded across the opening. Marcus pulled on a rope that hung just inside the alcove. Another spout like the one that filled the bath swung out overhead to create a miniature waterfall. 

 

"Convenient, eh?" Marcus said. "The water from the stream is cold, but you can heat it by casting a spell to heat the rocks where it enters the sluice. Kervan designed these for all the cottages; he says bathing is much more efficient this way. Very big on efficiency, Kervan is. Personally, I prefer a nice, long soak in a tub myself!" 

 

Xelloss smiled and caught Zelgadis' eye. 

 

"I can see the benefits of both methods," he said. "And to make this even more efficient, there's just room enough for two under the waterfall!" 

 

Zelgadis had already noticed that, as a matter of fact. He swallowed hard and bit the inside of his cheek to try to stop the picture that was forming in his mind already. 

 

"Is there anything else we should know, Marcus?" he ground out. "Any temple rules or taboos we shouldn't break?" 

 

Marcus thought for a second, then shook his head. 

 

"Can't think of any, except the one about not disturbing students when they're studying. And you're expected not to insult anyone else's deities or beliefs - just general politeness, as you'd expect in a place like this. Other than that, we really don't stand on ceremony here, as Kemara said. There's a bell before meals - which are wonderful, by the way - and that rings three times a day. You can always get a bite from the kitchens, though, any time of day or night. Lots of Beast Folk are nocturnal, you know. The dining hall is the next large one past the one we stopped at earlier, where Kemara introduced you." 

 

"We'll find it, I'm sure," Xelloss said cheerfully. 

 

Zelgadis wasn't sure he remembered the way back, but at the moment he didn't care, even if he hadn't eaten since morning. He just wanted Marcus to go away and leave them alone, which for some reason he wasn't ready to do. 

 

"I'll see you after dinner; I can show you 'round the place more later, or wait until tomorrow if you'd rather," Marcus said. "It gets dark early on these stormy days, so tomorrow might be better..." 

 

"I'll let you know," Zelgadis growled, cutting him off. 

 

Marcus took the hint and left them quickly after that. As soon as he disappeared around the corner of the little house, Xelloss turned to Zelgadis. 

 

"Well, Zel-san," he said, in a voice soft enough to just be heard over the gurgling of the stream, "Which shall it be? The bath? Or shall we try the shower first?" 

 

Zelgadis felt a flood of warmth rise up through his body in response to the suggestive tone of Xelloss' voice. He glared at the grinning Mazoku, and suddenly realized two things. The first was that Xelloss had been perfectly well aware all along that Zelgadis could sense his pleasure; in fact, he'd probably made sure of it, and obviously knew the effect it was having on him. The second was the reason he was irritated with Xelloss over his reaction to Myona. It was a very good reason to be irritated, now that he thought about it. He clenched his fists and glared. 

 

"You damn, stupid Mazoku!" he growled. 

 

Rather than looking pleased, Xelloss took half a step back from him in surprise. 

 

"Zel-san?" he asked cautiously. 

 

Even more irritated, Zelgadis grinned, or rather bared his teeth, and took two steps forward to more than close the distance again. Xelloss' eyes widened when Zel grabbed the front of his shirt in his fists and yanked him to the side, shaking him a little. He was too startled to resist when Zelgadis, with his full rock golem weight, shoved him back into the alcove, then jumped in after him and pinned him against the stone wall under the sluice. Xelloss looked baffled, but his eyes grew dark again as Zel's anger hit him. 

 

"Zelgadis?" he asked, eyeing Zel uncertainly, and foolishly trying to hold back on the arousal Zel's anger was inspiring in him. "Are you still so angry because I stopped you from killing Marcus-san? Or is it because I teased you earlier about the bath? Or..." he trailed off helplessly. 

 

Zelgadis laughed. "You're as dense as Gourry sometimes, Xelloss!" he said, forcing himself to sneer. He gathered the Mazoku's shirt in his fists again, and leaned into him until their faces were almost touching. "I'm only giving you the proper greeting for a Mazoku 'Lord,' - especially for the one who shares my bed  _and_ my bath. The kind of greeting 'no one' ever gives you anymore, you ungrateful little bastard!"

 

"Oh?" Xelloss actually flinched, but then a look of understanding spread across his face, quickly followed by a flush of embarrassment as he realized his mistake earlier: Myona may have learned his ritual greeting from some ancient story, but he certainly wasn't the only one who had ever offered Xelloss dark emotions as a freely-given gift. "Oh! I see! But, Zel-san, I didn't mean... You mustn't think... That is,  _you_ ...."

 

That was all the apology Zelgadis let him make, because, right at that moment, he had something else in mind for Xelloss' mouth that did not involve talking. 

 

\--- 

to be continued, as Xelloss and Zelgadis learn more about Myona and the other residents of the Temple of the Golden Lord and begin the difficult task of sorting fact from legend and myth from practical magic, and also try to decide which really is more practical: the shower, or a good old fashioned bath?  



	11. The Ancient Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xelloss comes up with something of a plan to keep Zelgadis' attention off that darn Claire Bible, and after an unsettling first meal at the Temple, Zelgadis does a little personal research on Xelloss.

 

When Zelgadis' hard body and burst of anger slammed him back against the stone wall, Xelloss finally fell out of the cloud of distraction he'd been in ever since he'd heard Kemara's voice at the gate. The awesome implications of a Temple dedicated to the Golden Lord, the growing realization of what Zelgadis might discover here, the strange aura of the place, and finally the potent offering from Kemara's young brother, all had combined to do what nothing else had been able to do for weeks: divert his attention away from Zelgadis. With the chimera's arousal and emotion assaulting his senses, even those distractions completely lost their grip.

 

He was an idiot indeed, he thought, as Zelgadis' mouth descended forcefully onto his. Myona's greeting had been a surprise, but it wasn't really the first time he'd been offered such a feast. He'd insulted Zelgadis by saying it was, when Zel had been freely offering him dark emotions ever since the night he'd been wounded in Shimeria. Well, he could try to make up for that insult right now and show his appreciation, as strange as it might be to appreciate a human's gift.

 

Anyway, the offering was irresistible now. Especially after their discussion earlier that morning, he had no intention of pulling away, and he didn't think he could if he wanted to. Zelgadis had managed to recall some of the fury and bloodlust he'd felt when he'd attacked Marcus earlier, creating a surge of dark emotion that made Xelloss moan with pleasure. The probing tongue in his mouth and the firm weight of Zel's stone body leaning into his were just as arousing to his physical senses as the emotions were to his spirit.

 

Zel's rough fingers released their hold on his shirt and scrambled to get to his skin instead. Xelloss tried to return the favor, reaching up to tug at Zel's clothes, but he only got as far as pushing the chimera's mantle off his shoulders. With a snarl, Zelgadis grabbed his wrists and pushed them back against the stone. At the same time, he ground his hips against Xelloss, and forced Xelloss' legs apart by thrusting his own between them.

 

Xelloss gasped. Zelgadis hit him with a blast of raw emotion, desire edged with fury, possessive anger and need.... He moaned again. The emotion was real, not simply conjured for his benefit, but it was far more than irritation at a little insult. He suddenly wondered: could Zelgadis actually be jealous of the attention he'd given Myona? Not that he had any need to be jealous. Especially not when Zelgadis also had _this_...

 

He shifted his attention to the astral side and found Zelgadis' spirit waiting there. Unformed by any thought but desire, Zelgadis clawed at him as if trying to bind him. It was a feeble variation on his own smothering attack of the night before, he realized. Zel's power was still so much smaller than his, it would never be strong enough to hold him or hurt him. The mere fact that Zel wanted to hold onto him - well, that was danger enough, in a way. But Xelloss ignored that thought and let Zel's spirit form wrap around as much of him as he could grasp on the astral side.

 

On the physical side, he squirmed against Zelgadis' grasp, but it was more to feel the friction than to try to escape. For a moment, Zel's kiss became savage, tearing at his lip with sharp demon teeth, but then it broke off suddenly. He pulled away for a second, just long enough for Xelloss to see the blue fire in his eyes, and then he dove down to press his teeth into Xelloss' shoulder. He knew Zelgadis couldn't really hurt him, but he was startled enough to gasp and stop struggling even so.

 

"Zel-san," he whispered, half plea and half moan.

 

"I told you, Xelloss," Zelgadis growled with his face against Xelloss' neck. "I told you I can hate you if that's what you enjoy. Or did you prefer my fear?"

 

"That's..." Xelloss began. He couldn't think what to say. The fear Zelgadis had felt the night before had been genuine, and with good reason, but even that he'd offered up to Xelloss knowingly. And like the stories of the ancient rituals, that offering had been enough to keep the human alive. What Mazoku could resist such a feast?

 

"This is - exquisite," he murmured, struggling for an adequate word. He thought of a better way to answer the question: he twisted his body and spirit within Zel's grasp, making it clear how strongly Zelgadis emotional onslaught affected him.

 

Zelgadis laughed, low and lustful, and pressed Xelloss against the rock wall more firmly.

 

At that moment, the sound of a bell rang out clearly through the sound of falling water and echoed off the rocky hill behind them. The dinner bell, Xelloss thought, blinking in confusion as the sound penetrated his clouded senses; it seemed to be magically amplified to reach every corner of the Temple grounds. For a long moment after its deep voice faded, neither of them moved.

 

"Damn," Zel sighed at last. He pushed himself back and started to tuck Xelloss' shirt back into place. "I suppose we don't want to offend the High Priestess by not showing up for our first meal here, do we?"

 

Xelloss sighed even more deeply. Curiosity and his sense of propriety were almost evenly matched by his desire to get the rest of the clothes and the mud off Zelgadis, very slowly and carefully. Of course, as far as meals went, he'd rather feast on what was in front of him, but unfortunately Zelgadis needed to eat like any other human.

 

Now that his attention had been so forcefully returned to the chimera, though, he decided he would like to keep it there quite a while longer. While Zelgadis stepped back and grimaced down at his own mussed and muddy tunic, it occurred to Xelloss that he would rather keep Zel's attention on him as well. That would be much better than letting the single-minded shaman think too much about Claire Bible manuscripts and other troublesome matters, at least until Xelloss had a chance to find out more about the Temple. That might even be a good enough excuse to skip dinner after all...

 

He shifted them around so that Zel's back was to the rock wall, leaving his legs tangled around and between Zel's. The chimera's blue-tinted skin was slick with rain, and his clothes were still muddy and wet. Looking him up and down, Xelloss licked his lips, and decided it was in his best interest all around to try to distract Zelgadis so thoroughly that he'd give up this troublesome quest to get his human body back.

 

"I don't think Kemara would take offense," he said, leaning in closer.

 

"But our absence might be a bit awkward for her, since so many people expect to see us at the meal," Zelgadis said, breathless but doubtful. He licked his lips, too, as he tried to keep his eyes on Xelloss' face instead of letting them stray lower. "She might send Marcus or someone to look for us to see if we got lost," he muttered.

 

"She might," Xelloss agreed. "On the other hand, they're such an insightful group, they might even guess why we've become too busy to put in an appearance at dinner... !"

 

As soon as the words left his lips, Xelloss knew it was the wrong thing to say if he really didn't want to go to dinner. A look of horror broke out on Zel's face as he imagined the temple residents imaging what they would be doing.

 

"Damn!" he said, much more forcefully this time. He pushed Xelloss back. "I don't want to give them that much to think about!"

 

Disappointed but not surprised, Xelloss moved back a little, but he dropped his hand casually to brush across Zelgadis' crotch. Even the thought of having other people guess what he was up to hadn't completely defeated the chimera's arousal, which was barely hidden by his trousers and tunic. Grimacing, Zelgadis tried to push his hand away, but Xelloss grinned.

 

"I believe I'll have to make you jealous more often, Zel-san!" he said, leering in closer.

 

Zel's eyes flew wide open; for a second he glared at Xelloss, and then abruptly shoved him back a step.

 

"Jealous! You think I'm -?" he sputtered, then he laughed sharply. "Don't be stupid, Xelloss! I'm not jealous of Myona, if that's what you're thinking. That is...." He eyed Xelloss suspiciously. "I don't need to be jealous of some trembling little kid like him, do I?"

 

Of course, he didn't need to be jealous of anyone at all, but saying so wouldn't be any fun. Xelloss simply smiled. Zelgadis glared at him a moment longer, then huffed irritably.

 

"Obviously, Myona's imaginary friend was right," he said. "You're trying to piss me off again already, aren't you?"

 

"Hm, now that you mention it," Xelloss said. "Well, I suppose that will have to wait until after dinner, now. But what you offered so insistently a moment ago still sounds good to me, so while you enjoy your meal, I'll be thinking ahead to having more of you and your luscious dark emotions for dessert!"

 

Zelgadis tried to stifle his irritation and arousal, only half successfully. He was still glaring when Xelloss turned away and stepped back toward the entrance to the alcove.

 

"Hm, now, how did Marcus make this work?" he said.

 

Just as Zelgadis stepped forward into the center of the alcove, Xelloss found and pulled the rope that moved the sluice. A lovely torrent of cold water poured down onto the chimera's silvery head.

 

" _XELLOSS!!"_

 

\---

 

Fortunately, Kervan's shower arrangement did turn out to be a very efficient way to wash off mud and dirt, and also fortunately, Zelgadis was able to dry his clothes afterward with a quick spell. Only a few minutes after the bell sounded they were flying over the compound under darkening skies. Xelloss led the way, guided to the dining hall by the glimmering of torches and Lighting spells, as well as by the odor of food and the concentrated miasma of a crowd. Zelgadis followed silently, still trying to gain control of his emotions and his body. Xelloss smiled to himself when he noticed that the chimera's Levitation spell was a little unsteady.

 

They landed on another covered veranda and entered the crowded dining hall. The noise level dropped briefly as more than fifty humans and beast folk seated at four long tables all turned to look at them. Most smiled, some frowned, but a second later they were all talking together again at a more hushed level. At least they weren't late enough to have offended anyone, Xelloss thought. Kemara smiled as she stood up and waved them over to take seats next to hers at the head of the center table.

 

The aura of the Temple still tugged at Xelloss' senses, but he was much more interested in watching Zelgadis' reaction to their surroundings now. In fact, he was so busy wondering what Zelgadis was thinking that when Kemara quickly introduced several scholars, acolytes and loremasters, most of their names went flying past his ears uncaught. Zelgadis looked overwhelmed by them all as well, and barely acknowledged the introductions as Kemara made them.

 

Impressed but certainly not shy of meeting a famous shaman-swordsman-chimera and a high-ranking Mazoku, the people at Kemara's table all began talking at once, hardly giving either of the guests a chance to speak up anyway. While Zelgadis grew increasingly uncomfortable under the barrage and tried to concetrate on his smoked fish and vegetable stew, Xelloss looked them over out of the corner of his eye, wondering which of them had knowledge he might need to be concerned about.

 

To his relief, none of them seemed ready to start reciting passages from the Claire Bible at the dinner table, anyway. They were all much more intent on asking him and Zelgadis questions, which fortunately came too thick and fast for either of them to answer. Kemara tried to reign in their rampant curiousity, but Xelloss soon realized that she was distracted by something else in the room. Her eyes wandered away from them frequently, while she nodded absently at whatever was being said. At first he thought she was only concerned about the general behavior of the Temple residents and the impression they were all making on her honored guests. Then he followed her frowning gaze across the room toward the kitchens, and discovered that one of the servers was Myona.

 

Dressed in a clean black tunic, trousers and boots, Myona shuffled between the tables with a heavily loaded tray. His lips pursed and he frowned in concentration as he set dishes down in front of people who talked and gestured while they ate. He had to work quickly to dart between waving arms, antennae, wings, and other appendages without spilling anything. Unlike every other person in the room, he barely raised his head to look over at him and Zelgadis sitting in the place of honor next to his sister.

 

Myona's emotions were subdued, so much so that Xelloss hardly would have noticed him at all among the crowd. Even so, just from watching him, Xelloss could see that he was every bit as uneasy in a room full of people as Zelgadis was. He seemed competent enough in spite of his teenage awkwardness, and more careful than the other servers who were too busy gawking at the new guests and whispering together to pay attention to what they were doing. In spite of that, Kemara's brows knitted with worry as she watched him, as if he was performing a delicate and dangerous trick for the first time.

 

He sensed a flutter of familiar irritation near at hand. Zelgadis was watching him with a raised eyebrow and a curled lip. He glanced across the room at Myona and back to Xelloss again meaningfully.

 

"You're being obvious again," he muttered so quietly that only Xelloss could have heard him.

 

Xelloss grinned but said nothing. He hadn't been watching Myona just to make Zelgadis jealous, but there was no harm in letting Zelgadis think he was.

 

However, at that moment his view across the room was blocked as a plump woman with unnaturally shiny blond hair leaned forward to catch his eye. Dressed in the midnight blue robes of a Temple Loremaster, she sat two seats past Kemara, but she leaned right across her neighbor's plate and fluttered her heavily lined eyelashes as she smiled at him.

 

"Xelloss-sama," she began, in a falsely casual tone, "some of us have wondered why your people have shown so much interest in a human sorcerer like Lina Inverse. Could it mean the rumors that she recently destroyed a portion of Shabranigdu are actually true?"

 

Kemara reached over and tapped the back of the woman's hand.

 

"Erta-san, remember the Rule of Respect! Curiosity is no excuse to speak so casually of Lord Ruby Eye, or to badger Xelloss-sama for a story when he's just arrived! I know you're anxious to hear all about Xelloss-sama's and Zelgadis-san's adventures with the great Sorcerer, Lina Inverse, but just as you loremasters say, 'All tales will be told in time.' "

 

At the mention of the Sorcerer, Xelloss realized that Erta was doing no more or less than fishing for hints about the outcome of the Princess of Fate books. He couldn't decide whether to laugh or glare menacingly at her as she babbled on about Lina and about Shabrinigdu's rumored defeat, while Kemara tried to wave her away from the subject. Undaunted, Erta turned to the High Priestess, although she kept her eye on Xelloss for his reaction as she continued.

 

"I meant no disrespect, Kemara-sama, but you must admit it is curious that such high ranking Mazoku Lords as Phibrizo and Gaav also showed so much interest in an outlaw sorcerer like Lina Inverse..."

 

Xelloss frowned; he hardly cared about her lack of respectful titles for the late Mazoku lords, but he certainly didn't want to discuss Hellmaster's folly with this woman. However, he missed hearing the rest of Erta's questions and theories when another blast of irritation hit him. It was unmistakably from Zelgadis, but it was deeper and darker than a moment ago. He glanced over, expecting to find Zel giving the Loremaster a glare of death for merely mentioning Martina's book.

 

To his surprise, Zelgadis wasn't even listening to Erta at all. He was staring with narrowed eyes across the room, toward the swinging doors that led to the kitchen. Myona stood there just inside the dining hall with his head bowed. It took Xelloss a moment to realize he was staring down at the fresh coating of gravy that covered the entire front of his tunic, right up to his chin. It appeared that he'd come through the door too quickly and let it swing back to knock his tray against himself.

 

Xelloss sensed the slightest flutter of emotion from Myona, but it was quelled so quickly he couldn't have named it. Then, without raising his head, Myona simply turned and went back into the kitchen.

 

Zelgadis continued to glare, however, and if anything his irritation grew sharper. Following his gaze again, Xelloss saw two of the other servers standing near the door, a tall, thin boy and a pretty young woman with small bat wings and far too much makeup on her pale face. They nudged each other and grinned conspiratorially, and the boy gave the girl a quick thumbs up. A second later they split up and went about their work as if nothing had happened.

 

Kemara had been too busy trying to block Erta's barrage of curiosity to notice the incident. Zelgadis, on the other hand, stared at the closed door to the kitchen with blue sparks in his eyes for a moment longer, before returning his attention to his dinner plate.

 

"No wonder he spends all his time out on the cliffs alone," Zel muttered as he stabbed a piece of potato with his fork.

 

Xelloss raised his eyebrow but said nothing. Zelgadis stilled his anger to a mere simmer, but Xelloss didn't think that had anything to do with him. He wasn't sure the chimera knew or cared that he'd noticed the brief emotional storm. He couldn't help wondering why Myona's predicament had raised Zel's hackles so intensely.

 

Kemara finally managed to fend off Erta with the help of another Loremaster sitting across the table, an older man with black eyes and shiny, dark hair slicked back in a way that reminded Xelloss of the folded wings of a crow. He had drawn Erta from the details of Lina Inverse's life and talents into an esoteric discussion about the archetype of the rebellious female sorcerer in old stories and lore, then sat back and smiled rather mischievously while she floundered in a tangled net of abstract theory. While Erta sputtered, he managed a sly wink at Kemara, who had dropped out of the conversation with a sigh of relief. The High Priestess smiled at him gratefully, then turned to Xelloss.

 

"I'm sorry, Xelloss-sama," she said quietly, "but I'm afraid you'll be getting quite a lot of questions like that while you're here. Of course, such stories are your own to tell or not, if you wish to. The same is true for you as well, Zelgadis-san," she added.

 

"Yes?" Zelgadis said absently. Obviously, his thoughts had continued on in some other direction after witnessing the incident with Myona. "I see... Kemara," he said suddenly, as if he'd just remembered she was sitting there, "Speaking of those cliffs, what can you tell us about those ruins out on the point? They look quite ancient. There must be stories about them."

 

Kemara blinked in surprise. No one had mentioned the cliffs, but Xelloss guessed that the thought of Myona wandering alone outside the village had led Zel's thoughts back to the them and the ruins. Xelloss remembered that he was curious about those ruins as well, and he leaned forward to catch Kemara's answer.

 

She bit her lip for a second, then looked at them, Xelloss thought, reproachfully. Several of the people sitting near enough to hear stopped talking and exchanged quick, uncomfortable glances.

 

"Yes, the Shrine of the Ancient Ones," the crow man spoke up after a moment's awkward silence. "A perfect example of how tales grow like weeds where no fact is planted."

 

"You mean, no one knows what the ruins really are?" Zelgadis asked.

 

"Oh, yes," the crow man said cheerfully, "A lot of people know perfectly well, but the trouble is, they all know different things! For example, information in the Asmalath family library states quite clearly that the ruins are no less than the remains of a landing place for the ships fleeing the Lost City of Skye. The Mala himself, the last son of the family, would tell you this is true without a doubt - if you could get him to speak of it, that is!"

 

"Naturally, Melly's reluctant to talk about the family heritage these days, since he's failed to live up to it so spectacularly," Erta said bluntly. "Assuming the stories were ever true about the Asmalaths, anyway; I've always thought they sold themselves a bit high."

 

"The Mala?" Zelgadis asked, saving Xelloss the trouble of asking.

 

"That's the hereditary title of the head of the Asmalath family," the dark-haired man explained, while Erta gave an inexplicable huff and rolled her eyes, "who was also the most powerful sorcerer in each generation. Unfortunately it's really no more than a _respectful_ title for the current only son and heir, Melianthus." 

 

"Everyone just calls him Melly instead," Erta said, flapping her hand dismissively, even though the alarmed and sheepish expressions on several other faces made Xelloss think they might not call him that if he were around to hear it. "It suits him much better, anyway. 

 

"On the other hand," the crow man went on, ignoring her, and forestalling any further questions about the possible last heir of the sorcerers of Skye, "Spearos-sama can point to numerous sources that clearly indicate the site is simply an old magical laboratory where an experimental spell went terribly wrong."

 

"A much more likely story," Erta declared. "Experimental sorcerers are all so horribly irresponsible!"

 

"Indeed," the crow man said placidly. "Of course, we'd all rather think that the original village of Wyndcliff was only destroyed by a failed experiment in weather control, rather than believing the much darker tales that have arisen about the place."

 

Erta laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, for those - "she began, but then she caught herself and stopped. She'd been completely unaffected by Kemara's scolding earlier, but now she flashed a guilty glance at the High Priestess. A second later she tried to hide it with an exaggerated laugh. "That is, there are those who are interested in those kinds of stories, quite, ah, naturally...."

 

"What Erta-san means to say," Kemara said in a very calm voice, "is that if you wish to know all the different stories about the ruins, the best one to ask is my brother Myona. He knows them all - the dark, the bright, and the nonsensical. Of course, whether that will take you any closer to the truth about the ruins is very unlikely. For that, you must ask the Loremasters to tell you what they know."

 

Xelloss cocked his head, catching Zel's curious frown. The others sitting nearby shifted in their seats and smiled nervously, but he wasn't sure they were only concerned with Kemara's reaction to Erta's tactless blunder. He was sure he sensed real fear under their smiles.

 

"And we'll be happy to tell you all that we can," the crow man said. "Isn't that so, Erta-san?"

 

"I'm afraid I know very little of the matter," she said quickly, with a sharp, dismissive shrug of her shoulder. She turned her too-bright smile on Xelloss again. "But if there's anything else you wish to ask, Xelloss-sama, I'm at your service! I look forward to assisting you in your research as well, Zelgadis-san."

 

She didn't seem to notice how Zelgadis recoiled from her and her offer, although her fellow Loremaster touched his finger to his lip to hide his smile.

 

The awkward moment passed, and talk moved away from the stories of the ruins and on to other things. Zelgadis gave no more than the briefest possible answer to any question after that, and Xelloss was even less helpful. By the time the meal was over, even Erta had given up on trying to get them to talk.

 

Thoroughly out of sorts by now, Zelgadis glared at a serving girl as she took his plate away, but she hardly noticed; she blushed and couldn't seem to raise her eyes to look directly at either of them. The two that they had seen teasing Myona were busy clearing tables at the far end of the room. Myona had disappeared completely.

 

"Let's get out of here," Zelgadis muttered so only Xelloss could hear. "Before they start telling stories - or ask us for one!"

 

"I quite agree," Xelloss said cheerfully. "I haven't had my dinner yet, and I'm getting hungry!"

 

Zel made a brief choking sound and hid his suddenly flushed face behind his hand. Apparently he'd forgotten what Xelloss had said earlier. After a moment, though, Xelloss saw his lips curl up in a smile.

 

They took their leave of Kemara and the rest as soon and as gracefully as possible, claiming weariness due to the journey from Mystport through the storm. Kemara said she'd send word to Marcus that they didn't need him that evening, but that he would be ready to guide them first thing in the morning when he would show them around and take them to meet Spearos, the head archivist. Zelgadis grimaced a little when she mentioned Marcus, but he managed to smile and and make a decently polite bow to her and the others before practically dashing from the room.

 

When Xelloss followed him outside, they found that the drizzle had turned to a hard rain again, which gusts of ocean-scented wind blew in under the porch roof. Other diners were leaving as well, drifting out of the dining hall and heading off in various directions on foot or on the wing, while he and Zelgadis stood at the edge of the porch preparing to Levitate back to their cottage. Xelloss heard Zel begin to chant, but then he paused and looked back. Kemara had just come out of the dining hall, and had stopped by the door to wave goodnight to them. Zelgadis hesitated a moment, then turned to Xelloss.

 

"Wait here; I want to ask Kemara something," he said, and walked away.

 

Xelloss watched him curiously. He thought of following; it would be difficult to eavesdrop from here, with the sound of the rain and so many other people passing between them.

 

However, something else caught his eye instead. The covered porch continued around the corner of the building, and far along the side he saw a couple of figures come out of a lighted doorway. A puff of steam and the smell of food and wood fires followed them outside, and Xelloss realized it must be an outside door into the kitchen. One of the two was the girl with bat wings sprouting from her shoulders.

 

After a quick glance back to where Zelgadis stood with his head bent to talk to Kemara, Xelloss strolled around the corner. Stopping near a pillar, hidden from their view by the darkness and the rain, he watched the two of them scrape food off plates into a bin by the door and listened for what he could hear of their conversation.

 

"I can't believe how many people where here tonight! We should have had more help," the bat girl complained.

 

"We would have had enough, if you hadn't given Myona an excuse to disappear halfway through the meal," the other serving girl said. She sounded more amused than annoyed. "I wasn't surprised, though. I mean, the little dreamhead's a good worker, when he bothers to show up, but he's just so weird! He never said a word to anyone the whole time he was here, I swear. Honestly, he gets away with everything around here. If I left halfway through a big dinner like that, I'd be grounded for a week."

 

" 'Course he does, the little freak," the bat girl said dismissively. "That's the point! Nobody else saw me do it, though, did they? If it gets back to the High Priestess, I'll be a lot worse than grounded."

 

"No, I didn't even see you do it - I wish I had!" the other girl laughed. "Amado told me about it. Nobody else knows, and of course Myona won't say anything. He never does."

 

"He wouldn't dare," the bat girl said darkly.

 

Tribal resemblance aside, Xelloss noticed that she looked similar enough to Druvilla, the assistant archivist, to be related. However, unlike Druvilla, this girl had a gleam in her eye that was certainly not cheerful.

 

At that point the tall boy Xelloss had seen earlier came out, carrying a huge pan of dirty dishes. The two girls groaned.

 

"Gee, thanks, Amado!" the other girl said sarcastically. "So, you got stuck with cleanup duty too?"

 

"Sorry," he said with a shrug. "The cooks are giving me dirty looks already, like they think I did something to make a mess or freak out little Myona or something, so I couldn't argue about it. Too bad, 'cause it wasn't me - this time!"

 

They all laughed as they began to scrape food off the new load of dirty plates.

 

Smiling, Xelloss stepped back toward the front of the building. Just before he reached the corner, he turned and made a little gesture with his hand, like a sign of priestly blessing, but none of them saw it.

 

When he turned back around, he found himself face to face with Zelgadis.

 

"What are you doing?" Zel said as Xelloss took his arm and pulled him around the corner.

 

"Nothing! What did you need to talk to Kemara about?"

 

"I asked her if Myona could be our guide around the place, instead of Marcus or - "

 

He broke off. Shouts of surprise sprinkled with some very rude words suddenly burst out from behind them, in the direction of the outer door to the kitchen. They distinctly heard something go "splat," followed by a squeal of disgust and the crash of a dropped plate.

 

Frowning suspiciously at him, Zelgadis stepped back and peered around the corner. Xelloss tucked his head around to look as well.

 

Chunks of vegetables and smoked fish and blobs of gravy were exploding from the bin like little fireworks, shooting up toward the ceiling and then showering down on the three servers. Steaming hot chunks in some cases, as they could see by the way the three hissed and frantically tried to shake off any bits that landed on them. A couple of cooks came out from the kitchen and added to the confusion, yelling at the servers to stop making a mess. Oddly enough, most of the exploding food missed them.

 

After a moment, Zelgadis stepped back and turned away. Without a word, he walked to the edge of the porch and prepared to cast his spell again. He paused, though, and without looking at Xelloss, he grinned.

 

"You'll have to teach me that one someday, Xelloss," he said.

 

Xelloss smiled and stepped up behind him. Snaking his arm around Zel's waist, he spoke quietly in his ear.

 

"Oh, but I have so many more interesting things to teach you than that, Zel-san!"

 

To his delight, Zelgadis' Levitation spell was even more unsteady on the way back to their cottage, and Xelloss didn't think it was just from trying to find his way through heavy rain in the dark.

 

They were in the bedroom and half undressed before either of them spoke again. Xelloss felt Zelgadis' spirit quivering, as if he was the one trying to hold back this time. He was about to make a very definitive move of his own when Zelgadis slipped behind him and wrapped his arms around him. Zel lifted the hair from his neck and placed his lips there, and his other hand fell low on Xelloss' hip, tantalizingly close to his groin. His spirit touched Xelloss lightly, and his emotions flickered. Xelloss could feel him smiling against his skin. He turned his head a little.

 

"What lesson would you like me to teach you tonight, Zelgadis?" he said.

 

"Tonight, I'm doing my own research," Zelgadis answered cryptically.

 

Xelloss started to turn to face him and tried to sense his feelings, but the shaman was keeping his emotions veiled. Xelloss could barely sense them swirling just beyond his reach, flickers of dark energy teasing him the way Zelgadis' fingers and lips were starting to tease his body.

 

Zelgadis was getting very good at keeping his emotions under control like this, at least at certain times - much less so in battle where it would really count against a Mazoku, as Xelloss pointed out whenever they practiced. But his control had never been as frustrating as it was at this moment. From the smile on Zel's lips and the trembling edges of his spirit form, Xelloss guessed he was banking some potent emotional energy, waiting for the right moment to unleash it - or perhaps, he was waiting for Xelloss to ask for it.

 

He decided he could play along with that, for awhile, at least. He teased Zelgadis in turn with his own hands and his mouth, finally twisting around so they were face to face and lightly pressed together from chest to thigh. It wasn't clear which of them was becoming more desperately aroused, until finally Zelgadis groaned and pulled him down onto the bed on top of himself.

 

Xelloss grinned triumphantly as he gazed down at Zel's slightly flushed face and parted lips. A little burst of fear hit him, and Zelgadis trembled beneath him, although he was the one holding Xelloss' body pressed down tight against his. But then, just as Xelloss smiled and sighed to drink in the offering of fear, Zelgadis snarled angrily instead. Xelloss' sigh turned into a questioning sound. Zelgadis withdrew the anger as well, and simply pulled his head down for a kiss.

 

Xelloss almost fell for it. For a second he clamped his mouth onto Zel's and twisted his astral form around the shaman's spirit, demanding more, but then he caught himself.

 

"Where did you ever learn to be such a tease, Zel-san?" he said reproachfully.

 

"From you, of course," Zelgadis said with a puff of laughter. "But I'm not teasing you, Xel-san," he continued in a very teasing tone. "I'm only trying to find out what you like. I already know you like this..."

 

He shifted his legs so that his rocky thigh rubbed against Xelloss' erection, and at the same time, ran his tongue around Xelloss' lips - both moves that he knew from past experience would make Xelloss moan out loud and squirm against him. But as soon as Xelloss lunged into him in response, he let out a gasp of fear.

 

"But what about this?" he asked in a frightened whisper.

 

Xelloss paused as if to catch his own startled breath. Fear; yes, fear was very sweet. The sudden quick rise and fall of Zelgadis' chest, the flicker in his crystalline eyes, made Xelloss lick his lips. He lowered his head to flick at Zel's parted lips with his tongue.

 

"Fear is very tasty, but it doesn't entirely suite you, my heartless sorcerer-swordsman," he said, caressing Zel's face. "In fact, seeing you tremble like this only reminds me of the lovely and delicate Miss Lulu!" he added with a wicked grin. 

 

Predictably - or rather, right on cue - Zelgadis stopped trembling, blushed instead, and then glared. Without moving, he slammed Xelloss with a shaft of irritation.

 

"Clearly," he said through clenched teeth, "you  _do_ prefer my anger, you damn pervert!"

 

Zelgadis clawed at him, all the more ineffectually as his burst of anger gave Xelloss a rush of energy. Xelloss laughed and let him struggle for a few seconds, until Zelgadis was panting with frustration - and arousal. All of his twisting around only increased the friction between their bodies, while Xelloss let most of the energy Zel gave him manifest in his physical form in the most appropriate fashion. He pressed his full hardness against Zel's, and that effectively stopped the struggles. 

 

Zelgadis closed his eyes and swallowed hard, trying to bring himself back under control. 

 

"How does it feel for you, Xelloss?" he asked in a whisper. He raised his head to nuzzle Xelloss' face, wrapping his legs and arms around him, while his spirit form twined around what it could catch of Xelloss on the astral side. "Anger, fear, sadness... do you really have a preference? Or does it matter at all, as long as it's dark, and strong?"

 

He let it out then. The wave broke and washed over Xelloss, the potent, exquisite blend of emotions that was purely Zelgadis, as much as the scent and feel of his stone skin or the flash of his eyes. Even though Xelloss had been half expecting it, the force of it nearly swept him under. He responded as he'd grown accustomed to respond, by pressing around Zelgadis on both the physical and astral sides, stimulating his body and spirit in return. Zelgadis arched and gasped, then threw his head back and grabbed onto Xelloss to get more. 

 

But Zel didn't quite lose control entirely. Panting for breath, he managed a low chuckle, and shakily stilled his emotions once more. 

 

"Zelgadis!" Xelloss whined. "You  _are_ teasing me! Clever, but very cruel of you. I can't let you get away with it, you know. I want to taste you, all of you...."

 

He lowered his head to lick Zelgadis' collarbone, then lower still to suck and nip at the rocky patches on his chest. He let energy leak from his fingertips, creating heat that Zel's thick stone skin could feel. 

 

Zelgadis shivered with pleasure and began to play his emotions, sending mingled waves of fear, anger, lust, sorrow, and hate - although his control finally wavered when Xelloss went lower. Occasionally a bright flash of unbridled pleasure burst through before he could stop it, but Xelloss didn't mind. In fact, it made him realize how precise Zelgadis' control had become, and how the power of his emotions gave form to his astral body as well - form that clawed at Xelloss' spirit in an echo of his need on the physical plane.

 

But just as Xelloss expected, all of the emotions coalesced into desperate need, tinged with fear and helpless, aimless anger, when he took Zelgadis in his mouth. It was the perfect feast, as far as he was concerned, the ultimate, irisistable offering - to taste Zelgadis like this, body and soul, and drink him in with all of his senses.

 

Zelgadis' stone fingers tangled in his hair, his nimble legs hooked around Xelloss' body, but Xelloss was the one in control now, although he was barely in control of himself. He pressed his fingers inside Zelgadis, who thrust jerkily onto him and groaned into his mouth. With his free hand, Xelloss reached up under and around Zel to trail burning fingertips over his chest. Zelgadis whimpered his name, while his spirit writhed in Xelloss' caress. His emotions broke in a blinding wave just before he came, and Xelloss swallowed it all.

 

"Delicious," Xelloss said a moment later, as he crawled up and nudged Zel over onto his side so he could wrap arms and legs around him from behind.

 

Zelgadis had gone blank to his Mazoku senses, as he usually did for a minute or two after he climaxed. There was only the slightest flicker of any emotion at all, but even that was so distinctly Zelgadis that Xelloss lapped it up. His stone-clad limbs were limp, but Xelloss was still hard and the energy of his desire crackled through his skin.

 

Zelgadis fluttered back to consciousness. At first he was puzzled, but then quickly became both alarmed and aroused when he found Xelloss pressed up behind him. Obligingly, he rolled over onto his stomach and shifted his legs so that Xelloss slipped between his thighs. But when Xelloss' hardness prodded him, he shivered with a little thrill of fear that made Xelloss sigh happily.

 

"Zel-san," he whispered, flicking the tip of Zel's pointed ear with his tongue. "Are you really afraid of me? Do you think I'm going to hurt you?"

 

"Yes," Zel whispered back, but from the tone of his voice and the twist of his emotions, Xelloss wasn't sure if that as an answer or a plea.

 

"But you know..." Xelloss said, as he slowly pressed into Zel's yielding body, "I have to... hurt you... like this." 

 

He did, but Zelgadis let him do it, and let himself feel the pain for Xelloss' sake. In return - without stopping to think of how strange it was - Xelloss quickly found the place where pain burst into pleasure inside Zelgadis. But then, because Zelgadis simply couldn't hate or fear or regret when he thrust against that place again and again, Xelloss seared his skin with his fingers, and lapped at his neck with his tongue like a live flame.

 

This time, he was the one playing Zelgadis, giving pain and pleasure in rising waves of intensity. He was just barely patient enough to bring Zelgadis to full arousal again before he finally gave in to his own intense need.

 

When Zelgadis screamed into the pillow and scrabbled his fingers like claws in the bedsheets, Xelloss gave in to the pure bliss of body and spirit. A portion of the power it gave him burst from him in physical form, released within Zelgadis, while his astral body swelled with pleasure to absorb the rest.

 

Satiated on both levels after the rush of power, Xelloss slowly refocused on the physical plane - the sound of rain on the shingled roof, the scent of Zelgadis' skin, and his own body's weight. He wasn't even sure if Zelgadis had come again until he slid his hand underneath and found the evidence. Zelgadis hissed and squirmed, still sensitive where Xelloss' hand was cupping him. He pressed back against Xelloss who was still lying half on top of him. 

 

"My, my," Xelloss sighed. "Does that answer your question, Zelgadis-san?"

 

"Hm?" Zel muttered sleepily against the pillow. "What question?"

 

"Never mind," Xelloss answered softly, because the chimera had already fallen asleep.

 

He smiled in the dark. So far, it seemed, his plan to distract Zelgadis was working quite well.

 

\----

 

(Coming up: Zelgadis and Xelloss settle in for some serious magical research at the Temple of the Golden Lord, starting with some rules they didn't know about until they break them. Then Zel finally get a first-hand glimpse of the Claire Bible!)

 


	12. Battle at Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a little late-night reading, Xelloss gets caught up in an impromptu practical magic lesson that Zelgadis initiates.

 

_The Mother of All Things is an Existence too vast to comprehend. Her Ways are mysterious, Her Works are marvelous, Her Words are unfathomable. Any fool who wishes to perceive Her Being must love futility, because he will never succeed. To realize this, one must only consider Her most inexplicable Creation: humans._

from "Thoughts on the Unthinkable: The Collected Musings of Black Crow Sage"

 

\---

 

Kemara smiled as she watched Zelgadis and Xelloss leave the dining hall porch and fly off into the rain together. She remained there by the door for a few more minutes, wishing goodnight to other temple residents as they left the hall. The black haired Loremaster stopped beside her.

 

"So," he said, "that was the Mazoku who broke the Curse of Shimer! It's quite an honor to meet him. I wanted to thank him for incidentally allowing our High Priestess to return to us, but I suppose that would be impertinent, wouldn't it?"

 

"Actually, Nigel-sama, I think Xelloss-sama would be quite amused if you did thank him for that," Kemara answered with a grin.

 

"Perhaps I will, then," he said cheerfully. "He looks like such a pleasant young man that it's hard to imagine him doing anything destructive - but I suppose that's deliberate. Looking at the two of them, Zelgadis-sama seems much more likely to be the dangerous one!"

 

Kemara's smile grew so wide that her twinkling eyes nearly disappeared, but she didn't reply to his comment.

 

"Zelgadis-san has asked for Myona to be their guide here at the Temple," she said. "If you'll excuse me, Nigel-sama, I had better go and tell Myona so he can be ready in the morning!

 

"Certainly, High Priestess-sama," he said, bowing to her. "I hope you and our guests will do me the honor of attending one of my recitations while they're here," he added, with a little hesitation.

 

"Thank you, Nigel-sama. I hope that can be arranged," Kemara answered.

 

Nigel left her with another small bow. As she went back into the hall to look for Myona, Kemara's cheeks had a little extra flush of pink to go with her smile.

 

A few minutes later, after searching through the hall and the kitchens, she returned to the porch and stood at the opposite end, looking out into the rainy dusk. Her smile had disappeared.

 

"Myona," she sighed, her shoulders slumping. Then she drew herself up and raised her arms to cast Levitation.

 

With a light wind shield around her as well, she was mostly dry when she drifted down to land on the point south of the bay a few minutes later. A fews streaks of light broke through the clouds far to the West, giving enough light to see the familiar shape huddled among the stones and sparse grass, halfway out on the windswept arm of land.

 

She shook her head as she came closer. Myona had thrown a cloak over his server's uniform, at least, but he had no hood and he was barefoot again. He sat with his back to the village, gazing out to sea and right into the rain and wind, but he turned to look up as she approached. His wet hair was plastered in dark curls around his face, and his eyes looked almost as dark as the black stones of the ruins and the black sea below.

 

Startled, he stood up quickly and pulled his cloak closer around himself. "Sis?" he said worriedly. "What are you doing out here?"

 

"I'm looking for you, of course," she said lightly, forcing a smile. "I was worried when I found out you'd left midway through dinner without telling anyone. Are you all right, Myona-chan?"

 

He fidgeted with the folds of his cloak. "I'm fine. I just couldn't wait to tell Dream Master that Xelloss-dono and Zelgadis-sama are here!"

 

"You didn't need to come all the way out here to tell Dream Master that, did you, Myona-chan?" she chided gently. "It's dangerous to walk up here on the cliffs in the dark, especially in the rain!"

 

"Dream Master won't let anything happen to me out here," he said confidently. "And it's easier to talk out here, away from the Temple and all the people."

 

Kemara bit her lip, while Myona gave her a crooked half-smile. She glanced around nervously; the point was fairly wide here, but it sloped steeply down a treacherous, grassy bank on the southern side, while the north side dropped off sheer into the bay. Further out it became narrow and steep on both sides where it curved back sharply to the north. That hooked point, where a few gnarled, dark trees grew around the huge stones of the ruins, seemed even more menacing than the cliffs.

 

"Myona-chan, do you really feel more safe out here?" she said wonderingly. When he just gave a little shrug, still smiling, she asked him more directly. "Did something happen tonight in the dining hall?"

 

He hunched his shoulders and hugged the cloak around himself more closely, but he shook his head. "It's just that, you know, I'm not very good at serving..."

 

He shrugged again and gave her another apologetic smile. Kemara waited, but he didn't say anything more.

 

"Well," she sighed. "Perhaps you'll find you're a better guide than a server, Myona-chan!"

 

He gave her a puzzled look. "Guide?" His expression grew even more confused when she smiled.

 

"A Temple guide, and storyteller as well! Zelgadis-san has asked that you guide him and Xelloss around the temple, starting tomorrow. You can attend any recitations they hear, if you like. And they also want to hear your stories."

 

Myona's eyes grew very large in his pale face. "Zelgadis-sama asked for me?" he said wondrously.

 

"Yes, and I said I thought you would be willing to do it, but it's up to you. If you want to, you'd better say goodnight to Dream Master and come back home and get to bed, because I expect they'll be ready to start early in the morning!"

 

"Oh!" He blinked and pushed wet hair back out of his face. "Really? Of course I'll do it! Really?"

 

A rare smile broke out on his face, and Kemara smiled back. Her shoulders dropped again, but this time it was in relief.

 

"Now, you see, if you'd kept up your studies, you could be their scribe as well, but Marcus-san will have to do that job for them," she said teasingly, reaching out to ruffle his dripping hair.

 

"Oh, Marcus," Myona said, frowning a little. "He's okay, I guess..." He trailed off absently, still smiling as if he was already distracted by thoughts of the task ahead.

 

They both looked up quickly as lightning flashed out at sea, briefly lighting up the darker clouds that were rushing up from the south. A gust of wind buffeted them with rain and flattened the grass. Myona turned to look across the wind-torn top of the cliff, tipping his head back as if to feel the rush of wind and rain against his face. He looked past the ruins to the the ragged sky in the West, where streaks of sunset afterglow still broke through the clouds on the horizon. The dark arms of the approaching storm stretched out as if reaching for the last of the light.

 

"Isn't it wonderful here?" Myona said breathlessly. He was still smiling, but his smile had changed.

 

Kemara bit her lip as she followed his gaze. She shivered at the sight of the ruins on the point; the huge broken stones looked like black teeth in a great, rocky jaw. She turned away, and muttered quickly to renew her barrier against the buffeting wind.

 

"I don't know why you think so, Myona," she said. "But anyway, it's time to go home, now!"

 

Myona sighed, but he turned back to her with a smile. She held out her hand. He looked at it doubtfully, and then at her.

 

"I can walk back," he said. "I'd really rather not, you know... fly..."

 

"Myona-chan!" Kemara shook her head more in wonder than in protest. "How can you still fear flying when you climb around up here near the ruins all the time, even in the black of night in the middle of a storm?"

 

"I know, but," he said, still hesitating to take her hand. "Up there, Dream Master isn't..." he began but didn't finish.

 

"Myona-chan," Kemara said softly. "Don't you trust your sister to protect you, too?"

 

"Oh!" He looked surprised, then his face fell into another apologetic smile. Finally he took her hand.

 

"Now that you're back, Kemara-san," he said quietly. "Of course I do."

 

He hid his eyes against her shoulder and clung to her tightly with his arms around her waist, while she lifted them both into the air.

 

"I'm glad Zelgadis-san destroyed that place so you could come home," he said, with his face muffled against her robe.

 

"So am I," Kemara said softly.

 

\---

 

Zelgadis may have had a body made of stone and super-human stamina, but after two days plus half a night of hiking, a good meal, and some intense physical intimacy, Xelloss observed that he slept like the proverbial log.

 

Sitting beside him on the bed in the dark, Xelloss cocked his head and regarded the sleeping chimera musingly for a few minutes. Actually, he decided, it was more natural to say that Zelgadis slept like a stone. Gourry was the one who slept like a log, one that a woodsman was hard at work on with a gigantic saw. He'd often marveled that Lina's other companions could sleep at all with Gourry anywhere in the vicinity.

 

Zelgadis didn't snore at all; in fact, Xelloss often had to stay close to hear the sound of his breath in the night. Sometimes Zelgadis had nightmares, though, and then he would pant with sharp breaths as if he was running in his dreams. All of Lina Inverse's companions, even Gourry, had nightmares once in a while. Xelloss supposed they would hardly be human if they didn't, after all they'd seen. But unlike the others, Zelgadis only ever muttered the name of the Red Priest in his troubled sleep.

 

Tonight, however, Zelgadis slept soundly and, as far as Xelloss could tell, in deep contentment. His soft breath and occasional movements were quiet against the patter of rain outside, lulling Xelloss into a sleep-like state of stillness as well. He could have spent the entire night like that, as he often did when Zelgadis slept, but the odd aura of the Temple hummed at the edge of his senses and nudged at his thoughts.

 

Quite suddenly and uncomfortably, it occurred to him to wonder if Zelas-sama knew of this place. He couldn't quite recall whether he'd mentioned Kemara or her grandmother's temple in his report about the events in Shimeria, since they were only of the slightest passing interest at the time. On the other hand, it was hard to imagine the Mazoku Lords had never heard of a place where humans honored the Golden Lord, and especially of a place where not one but several Claire Bible manuscripts were kept. If they did know of it, though, surely he would have been sent to investigate them....

 

Zelgadis sighed and turned in his sleep, and Xelloss frowned, shifting restlessly as well. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed he should report to Zelas-sama about what he'd found here. Except, he reasoned, he hadn't actually found very much yet. He didn't really have anything to tell her about the Temple itself, beyond the fact that it existed - which she might well already know, anyway.

 

Xelloss scowled, tearing his gaze away from Zel's comfortably sprawled body with an impatient twitch of his head. If he went to Zelas now, most of his report would consist of an explanation of how he came to be here in the first place. It had seemed clear enough this morning, but trying to figure out how he would put it in words to Zelas-sama, it still seemed a bit - complicated.

 

Pulling the form of his shirt and trousers into place around himself, Xelloss stood and started to pace beside the bed, muttering now and then as he tried to figure out what he would say to his mistress.

 

"Well, there were the Soldiers in Mystport... but Zelgadis-san... and Skye... so then...and there's Marcus... but besides that...the Loremasters... and also - "

 

He stopped short, then spun around and went to pick up his bag where he'd dropped it earlier, when he and Zelgadis were getting undressed in a bit of a rush.

 

"Ah, yes, Martina-san's book," he said softly. He pulled out the book and smiled at the figures on the cover. "Perhaps I'd better find out how much trouble this manuscript is going to be, before I worry about obscure lore that I can't even put my hands on!"

 

Satisfying himself that this was a more useful way to spend night hours than either flitting around the temple grounds or paying a visit home, Xelloss settled himself on the windowsill in the bedroom with the book propped up on his knee. The night outside was black with occasional soft flickers of lightning, and rain blew against the window. He looked over once more to see that Zelgadis was still happily asleep, and then he opened the book to page one and began to read.

 

\---

 

By the time Xelloss read through the detailed (and exaggerated) description of the Princess' glorious wedding and finally came to the words "The End," a pale and foggy dawn had arrived. He stood up and peered outside, but there was little to see in the dim, misty light. The rain and wind had stopped sometime while he was caught up in the Princess' tale. Everything seemed very still and quiet outside the cottage.

 

He'd stifled his laughter several times while reading Martina's story. Parts it were clearly meant to be amusing, but in other places he had to laugh for his own personal reasons. Zelgadis had not stirred in all that time. Xelloss set the book aside with a final fond pat and a grin.

 

"Martina-san, you actually had me worried for a moment there," he said, gazing at the book fondly. "Fortunately, you only managed to comprehend enough to sound just like the charming idiot you are, and perhaps also to make the Sorcerers' Guild look foolish as well!"

 

He wondered once again what Lina would think of the story when she heard of it. If nothing else, the parts where Martina strongly suggested there was something romantic going on between the Sorcerer and the Golden Haired Swordsman were likely to earn the Princess a Fireball or two.

 

He thought for a moment of waking Zelgadis by reading the story out loud to him, but decided not to bother; the chimera often woke up grumpy enough as it was. It was still very early, and he felt a little restless after reliving past events through the Princess' silly, human eyes. He decided to slip outside for a look around instead. He might just have time to learn something useful about the Temple before Zelgadis woke up.

 

Xelloss stood out in front of the cottage on the wet grass of the green, and looked around. Thick mist hid everything more than a few feet away from normal sight. The sky was light above, but the sun would not rise above the tops of the mountains behind the town for some time yet.

 

He closed his eyes and considered the aura of the temple again. It was like a wind-blown mist swirling around him, and like a scent he couldn't catch or a smoke that obscured his vision.

 

As he stood there, he became aware for the first time that there were people nearby; a few of the other cottages around the green were occupied with residents who were still asleep. He remembered that Marcus had mentioned the house he and Kervan shared, and he guessed it must be nearby, but he couldn't seem to pinpoint them when he tried to. It was disturbingly difficult to sense individuals through the swirling veil of the Temple's miasma.

 

Xelloss turned around and looked back at the cottage where Zelgadis slept, just to make sure he could sense the chimera as clearly as ever. His eyes flew wide open with surprise - Zelgadis was not only awake, he was right on the other side of the door. He sensed that the chimera had woken up both grumpy and gleeful, and unless the temple's aura was completely baffling Xelloss' sense of things, there was a power field gathering around him as well - the kind that gathered around a sorcerer when he was preparing to cast a spell.

 

For a second, Xelloss thought he felt Zelgadis touch him on the astral side, and then just as suddenly his awareness of the chimera's spirit was blocked. He knew he'd been tagged, but he didn't have time to decide whether to dodge or counter-attack before the astral blast hit him.

 

His senses reeled and his mind went as fuzzy as the fog that was all around him. All he could think of, as he went flying backward several feet in the air, was that he was certainly glad Zelgadis hadn't used a Ra Tilt, because he'd scored a direct hit. It must have been Zel's newly-invented, blunt-tipped version of Elmekia Lance, but that wasn't why it was so impressive.

 

He sat up - having landed on his butt in the wet grass - and shook his head to clear it. It hurt all right, in fact his body and spirit would likely feel the ache for hours, but he couldn't help grinning. For the first time since they'd started their battle practice, Zelgadis had actually managed to hit him from the astral side.

 

Like Zel's first touch on the astral side, their mock battles had begun by accident, because Zelgadis really did wake up very grumpy some mornings.

 

It had started one morning a few days after leaving Seyruun, shortly after Zel's initial discovery of his astral body's reach. Since they'd become intimate in Shimeria, Xelloss had forgotten how unsociable Zelgadis used to be early in the morning, back in the days when they were all traveling together with Lina. Even Amelia had learned to give him a wide berth for a while after he first woke up. That morning outside Seyruun, for the first time since Shimeria, Zel so clearly wanted to be left alone to drink his coffee in peace that Xelloss couldn't help badgering him with questions and bad jokes.

 

He knew Zelgadis was growing more frustrated with him by the second, but when Zel began to mutter something under his breath, Xelloss assumed it was just ordinary grumbling. Then Zelgadis looked up, straight into his face, and smiled.

 

"Zel-san?" he asked innocently.

 

_"Blam Blazer!"_

 

He'd figured it out just before the words left Zel's lips, and dodged - or at least, he'd meant to. The problem was, he'd only dodged on the physical side. It was an astral attack spell, but the energy normally passed through physical space toward the target. To his astonishment, Zelgadis had somehow managed to cast it on the astral side at the same time.

 

Fortunately, Zelgadis had pulled his punch, so to speak - he was irritated as hell, but he wasn't really trying to kill Xelloss, after all. He didn't even realize what he'd done, or why Xelloss was knocked flat by the spell rather than just knocked silly as he'd intended.

 

Xelloss shouldn't have said it, but he couldn't help the first words to come out of his mouth when he was able to speak again a few minutes later.

  
"Amazing, Zel-san" he croaked, grinning like a fool. "Do it again!"

 

Zelgadis couldn't do it again. He hadn't planned to do it in the first place, just as he hadn't planned to touch Xelloss on the astral side in the first place. When he realized what he'd done, attacking from the astral side as a Mazoku would, he balked.

 

"It's not dangerous," Xelloss said, partly to convince himself. "Not to me, anyway, and not to you either. You're not a Mazoku, just one-third brow demon, after all!"

 

In spite of this supposed reassurance, Zelgadis couldn't even begin to try again. Xelloss reminded him that the Soldiers of Shimer had used weapons that affected his spirit as well as his body.

 

"If you can attack from the astral side, you can shield yourself there as well," he said reasonably.

 

That got Zel's attention, at least, and he stopped protesting the whole idea long enough to think about it. Of course, at that time, Zelgadis had hoped never to see another Soldier of Shimer, but the idea of being able to defend himself from astral attacks wasn't one to take lightly.

 

"You think you can teach me to fight like this?" Zelgadis said, looking at Xelloss doubtfully. "Besides that, do you really think you ought to?"

 

"It's my duty to protect you from the Soldiers; therefore, teaching you to protect yourself is within the parameters of my orders as well." It made perfect sense as far as he could see.

 

When Zelgadis still seemed hesitant, Xelloss narrowed his eyes and raised his hands, and let Zel see the power gathering there. He waited until he was sure Zel felt it with his astral senses as well.

 

"Why don't you just try shielding yourself against _this_ , at least?" he said with his best demonic grin.

 

Zelgadis tried, and failed. Then he grew frustrated. Xelloss should have known that would do the trick.

 

So their astral magic sparring practice had begun. In all the time they'd been practicing, though, Zelgadis hadn't quite managed to land another blow from the astral side, until now. Xelloss suddenly thought he knew what the expression "punch-drunk" really meant, and it had nothing to do with fruit juice at all.

 

It took a few seconds longer for him to gather his thoughts than he realized, because by the time he did, Zelgadis was halfway across the lawn toward him, and he'd never noticed him leaving the cottage. He was wearing only his trousers, which Xelloss couldn't help noticing and appreciating even if his mind was still half numb, and of course he was grinning.

 

"Nicely done," Xelloss said, with slightly halting speech. "Just don't (pause) tell me (pause) you didn't know (pause) what you were doing (pause) this time."

 

"I knew," Zelgadis said. "It's a little easier here for some reason. Like learning to swim in salt water, I guess."

 

Xelloss was even more surprised to sense that Zelgadis was already gearing up for another attack. If the energy gathering around him wasn't a clear enough indication, the wicked grin on his face made it quite obvious.

 

"Zel-san, I must say," he began - still feeling a little studdery in the speech department - "I'm surprised you want to practice this morning. Not that I have any objections, but I thought you'd be eager to dig into your Claire Bible manuscripts and your Beast Tribe legends before anything else!"

 

Zelgadis stopped in his tracks, stared at Xelloss a second, and then laughed. "Xelloss, you really have become as forgetful as Gourry, as pig-headed as Lina, and as - uh, no, forget it; there's no way to compare you to Amelia!"

 

"Eh?" Xelloss squawked. "Why in the Four Worlds would you want to?"

 

Zelgadis laughed briefly again. Xelloss was completely confused, but it wasn't just because of Zelgadis' spell now. Why was he being compared to Lina Inverse?

 

"I know what you're up to, Xelloss," Zelgadis said bluntly, beginning to walk toward him again. His hands made spell-casting movements as he walked. "I must have been thinking in my sleep, because as soon as I woke up I knew exactly what you were trying to do last night. You're trying to distract me from my search, aren't you?"

 

Caught out like that, Xelloss blinked rapidly and stammered something, but he couldn't quite figure out how to deny it - not in any way that Zelgadis would believe, at least.

 

Zelgadis smirked, then glared. "Weren't you listening yesterday morning? I have other reasons for seeking magical knowledge here now, remember? I'm going to find something to help you against the Shrine Keepers and their cursed weapons, and to do that, I'm going to need more practice in offensive astral magic." He smiled and focused his power. "Are you ready?" he said, and then he began to chant.

 

"Oh!" How could he have forgotten, Xelloss wondered. Well, probably because it was so incredible in the first place, he supposed. He knew Zelgadis so well by now, and knew how badly he wanted to have a normal body, that it was hard to believe he'd set that goal aside for anything. On the other hand, he also knew how dogged Zelgadis could be in the pursuit of any goal he found worth reaching for. And he had always wanted power, after all.

 

Xelloss smiled up at him from where he was still sitting on the ground, but he didn't get up just yet.

 

"Excellent," Xelloss said happily. He still spoke more slowly than usual, but it was mostly just for the effect now.

 

Brow furrowing with concern, Zelgadis hesitated in his chant and bent forward to look at him more closely - a predictable but foolish move. He was only a couple of feet away now.

 

"If casting an astral attack is easier for you here, this should be easier as well," Xelloss said. He looked the chimera right in the face and grinned. "Shielding yourself, that is," he added, and that was all the warning he gave.

 

Zelgadis wasn't caught off guard after all. He leaped backward and arced to the side, with the fighter's grace and magical speed Xelloss admired in him. At the same time, Zelgadis swept his hand through the air as if he was waving a flag. That was only a gesture that helped him focus his thought on the astral side. Instead of an imaginary flag, a solid ribbon of power followed his hand, creating a shield in front of him. Unfortunately, it was only about as wide as, well, a ribbon. That didn't begin to cover his astral body.

 

That was what came of not wanting to look at what he was doing, Xelloss thought sadly as he released his attack. His low burst of power slipped past the narrow belt of the shield and grazed Zelgadis' spirit. On the physical plane, Zel's eyes went wide and he grunted in surprise. His Elmekia Bunt went wild as if it was knocked from his hands, and shot up over Xelloss' head to dissipate in the fog.

 

"Damn," he muttered. He landed from his leap backward and almost fell over sideways before he caught himself. His senses were disrupted enough to lose his balance, but he could still concentrate enough to chant another spell.

 

"No, no," Xelloss said crossly. "Defend, don't attack!"

 

Zelgadis was more comfortable attacking. It made sense, in a way. After all, the reason he'd reached out onto the astral plane in the first place was to touch Xelloss, not to shut him out. Unfortunately, Xelloss felt that defending himself on the astral side was much more to the point.

 

Zelgadis was going all out in his attack this time, though, with a full-fledged Blam Blazer. He dropped to one knee, concentrating so hard on the astral plane that he was unsteady on the physical side. He cast the spell so quickly that he might have gotten away with a move like that - if he'd been fighting something relatively weak and stupid, like a Brass Demon.

 

Xelloss felt that he needed to make a point. He waited and let Zelgadis cast his spell. It was certainly a potent one, and Zel had even managed to cast it on the astral side, but he didn't have the element of surprise in his favor this time. Xelloss jumped aside and dodged it - although it grazed him enough to singe the flapping end of his sash - and landed a foot in front of Zelgadis, who was still down on one knee in the grass.

 

"Shit," Zelgadis hissed. His lovely burst of panic hit Xelloss, but it was as much to the chimera's advantage as it was to his own. Pumped with adrenaline, Zelgadis started to jump up and back, already beginning to chant another spell. Xelloss simply reached out and caught him on the astral side, and pinned him in place with his own recently-devised Mazoku version of a Shadow Snap. He would be ashamed to use even such a simple astral attack against a mere human in real battle, but this was lessons, so he felt it was justified.

 

Zelgadis snarled, showing his demon-sharp teeth. That was nice, and Xelloss paused before his next move to savor it. Unfortunately that must have been what Zelgadis was hoping he'd do, because he took advantage of Xelloss' brief lapse in concentration to twist free of his grasp on the astral side. Xelloss grimaced; his chimera was getting entirely too clever about using his emotions like that.

 

Having wiggled out of Xelloss' Astral Shadow Grip, Zelgadis was free on the physical side as well, but it was too late. His reflexes were inhumanly fast, but that wasn't fast enough against a Mazoku who could fire up a spell attack with no more than a lightning-quick thought. Zelgadis twisted and leaped away in a blur of speed. Xelloss raised his hand and spoke.

 

"Drku shizt!" he said, or at least that's what it sounded like to human ears, as far as he'd ever been able to tell. The air buzzed with concentrated energy. An invisible force hit Zelgadis in mid air. He stiffened, and then crashed in a heap in the middle of the green.

 

Xelloss strolled over to him. Zelgadis lay there, twitching a little, panting and glassy-eyed. He was conscious, which was a sign of how much Xelloss had pulled that punch, but he wouldn't be having any deeply meaningful conversations for a minute or two. There were smoking holes in his trousers and a couple of light scorch marks on his bare stone skin, places that would have been gaping holes in an ordinary human. That's what a Miasma Shockwave could do to a person - but the flash burns were just a side effect. It was the blow to the nervous system that was lethal.

 

However, at the low level of power he'd used and with the chimera's supernatural stamina, Xelloss knew Zelgadis would recover in minutes. Such a tightly controlled Miasma Shockwave took a little out of the Mazoku who cast it, though, so Xelloss sank to his knees, straddling Zel's hips, and relaxed.

 

"Mem," Zelgadis said, wincing with the effort of merely making a word come out of his mouth. Xelloss cocked his head. From the glitter in Zel's eyes, he decided the chimera probably meant to swear at him. That was perfect; the more pissed off Zelgadis got when he lost like this, the better he fought the next time.

 

Trying to regain control of mouth, mind, and body, Zelgadis could only curl his lip and glare - and even that was less than frightening when the effort made him quiver all the more. Xelloss couldn't help but grin down at him happily.

 

"You'll be fine in a minute, as you know perfectly well," he chided. "But I must admit, you're so adorable when your nervous system is all scrambled!" He leaned down closer, with one hand in the grass by Zel's head. "I'd help you recover, but of course you know..."

 

He was cut off by a shout that made him jump; Zelgadis twitched so hard he nearly left the ground.

 

" _Xelloss_!"

 

He froze. Zelgadis managed to raise an eyebrow. Feeling the power behind the voice beating on his back, Xelloss moved his hands away from Zelgadis and sat back slowly. He turned to look toward the voice that had shouted his name with nearly the force of a Blast Bomb.

 

"Kemara-sama," he said, smiling weakly. "You're up and about early, aren't you!"

 

\-- to be continued --

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: The Miasma Shockwave isn't in the lists of Slayers spells, but it appears in the second Slayers novel, "The Sorcerer of Atlas," where the Mazoku Gio Gaia casts it at Lina (and misses). It seems to be one of the few named spells that is only used by Mazoku.


	13. Lessons and Lore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After breaking a couple of Temple rules (who knew?), Zelgadis finally gets his own, real, first-hand view of a Claire Bible Manuscript! A life changing experience! - except maybe not quite in the way he was hoping it would be.

**Birth Rite, Chapter 13 of** (a lot more than I originally intended)

 

Kemara stood just inside the entrance from the main temple grounds, glaring lightning bolts at Xelloss. Her black and gold Priestess robes stood out sharply against the mist. Her fists were clenched at her sides, and Xelloss sensed White Magic pooled around her hands. Myona stood beside her, looking horrified with his mouth hanging open and his eyes as huge as dinner plates.

 

"Sis," he said in a whisper, looking up at her fearfully. Without a glance at him, she started to march across the green. It occurred to Xelloss that, at the moment, the boy was more afraid _for_ him than of him.

 

"M'oh," Zelgadis muttered through chattering teeth. "Rool. Bracken?"

 

"Er, yes, it appears we may have broken a rule - or several," Xelloss agreed nervously.

 

Kemara's High Priestess authority felt like a solid wall sweeping toward him. He only hoped she didn't think he was really trying to kill Zelgadis, although under normal circumstances it would be the most reasonable assumption - he was a Mazoku, after all! It would be difficult to explain that he was actually doing the exact opposite.

 

"Kemara-san," another low voice said in a warning tone.

 

Xelloss whipped his head around, and was even more shocked to discover that there were others besides Kemara and Myona watching them. The fog hadn't lifted but it had retreated, opening up the view from one end of the green to the other. Several people stood huddled by their cottage doors, biting their knuckles and trembling fearfully. He'd never seen most of them, but one of them was Marcus. Hugging himself and shivering in baggy gray pajamas, he looked more like a startled mouse than ever.

 

The one who had spoken Kemara's name, though, was Kervan. The dark haired man had paused on his way across the green toward them, with his hands held out palm down as if he was approaching a mad beast that he hoped to calm. He wore only a black silk robe that appeared to have been rather hastily thrown on, and his thick, dark hair was wildly tousled; he must have leapt right out of bed when he heard the battle on the green. Xelloss looked up at him and smiled his blandest smile, trying to make it clear that he wasn't a mad beast at all.

 

"Sorry to wake you all so early," Xelloss said earnestly. "Aren't we, Zelgadis-san?"

 

Zelgadis nodded; fortunately his nervous system was recovering quickly enough for it to look like a nod of affirmation.

 

"Vera s-s-sorr," he said. He tried to twist his head back in the grass to look up at Kervan.

 

Fortunately, Kervan recognized the grimace Zelgadis made as the reassuring smile it was probably meant to be. He continued forward and reached them at the same time Kemara did.

 

"That looked like a Miasma Shockwave, but if so, it was the weakest one I've ever seen," Kervan said quickly to Kemara. "I don't think it was meant to do any real damage."

 

Kemara appeared to ignore him, instead looking daggers at Xelloss.

 

"Move," she commanded.

 

"But - " Xelloss began.

 

Her power sparked as she raised one hand. Anger radiated off of her, but he suddenly realized that the magic gathered in her hands was a healing spell.

 

"Oh! Of course, Kemara-sama!" he said. He was up and a foot away on the other side of Zelgadis in a flash.

 

Zelgadis blinked in confusion as Kemara dropped to her knees beside his head. Kervan watched Xelloss for a moment with a speculative look, then knelt beside Zelgadis as well.

 

"I think," he said slowly to Kemara, "that they were not really fighting at all. It looked to me like a practice session. Either that, or... "

 

Kemara looked at him sharply.

 

"Either that, or a lover's quarrel," he finished with a crooked grin.

 

Xelloss twitched uncomfortably at the words, even though Kervan said it as if it was a joke. Judging from the glare she gave him, Kemara didn't think it was funny, but from the way she shook her head at him, she also didn't seem to believe it was true. He was fairly sure Kervan didn't think so, either.

 

Everything had gone quiet on the green. Myona, Marcus, and a couple of other onlookers had crept closer, though still keeping a safe distance, and craned their necks to see what was happening. Xelloss stood perfectly still and waited. Kemara placed one hand on Zel's singed chest and the other over his forehead. Xelloss was impressed to realize that she had the capacity to heal body and spirit at the same time, but he wasn't entirely surprised. She was a High Priestess, after all.

 

In the face of Kemara's authoritative power, Xelloss felt as tongue-tied as if he was the one who'd been hit with the Miasma Blast. He knew the healing spell wasn't really necessary, but he didn't think arguing the point would get him anywhere. That White Magic in her hands could be turned into a different kind of spell quite easily, with potentially uncomfortable results for him.

 

Even before her Recovery spell began to work, however, Zel's eyes focused and he reached up to touch her hand.

 

"Kemara-sama, I'm okay."

 

Blushing from all the attention focused on him, Zelgadis pushed Kemara's hand away and sat up. He casually cast Recovery on one of the scorch marks on his chest, which disappeared in barely a second.

 

"Thank you for healing me, but it's not necessary," he said. "As you can see. I'm fine. Anyway," he continued with a sidelong glance up at Xelloss, "I'm the one who started it."

 

Kemara studied him a moment longer, then nodded. She scowled up at Xelloss, obviously still not pleased. Smiling back at her, he did his best to look innocuous.

 

"You're quite welcome, Zelgadis-sama," she said with a dip of her head. Then she fixed Zel with another piercing glare. "But as guests of the temple, you should also know that lover's quarrels are forbidden here."

 

"Eh?" Xelloss heard himself squeak in surprise. He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but Zelgadis froze in place, going even redder in the face than before.

 

Kervan's eyes went wide, then he glanced back up at Marcus who stood behind him, watching them over his shoulder.

 

"They are?" Marcus said fretfully.

 

"We - didn't know that," Kervan added apologetically.

 

"Sis!" Myona gasped.

 

Zelgadis stared up at her from behind the silver sheath of his bangs for a moment, then dropped his head and, to Xelloss' surprise, grinned.

 

"You just made that rule up, High Priestess-sama," he said.

 

She grinned back.

 

"Perhaps," she admitted with the familiar twinkle in her eye. "But it's a good rule, just the same. However, I really do insist that if you intend on any more practice sessions with such high-level attack spells, you should have a healer standing by in case of accidents," she added with a stern glare.

 

Xelloss nodded vigorously. "We certainly shall do that, High Priestess-sama!" he said.

 

"Good," she said flatly.

 

Zelgadis stood up, and Kervan helped Kemara to her feet as well. Still blushing furiously, Zelgadis nodded to her.

 

"It's not necessary, but we will do that from now on," he said.

 

"There's something else you should know," Kemara said. "Complex spells and high-level magic sometimes go awry when cast within the Temple grounds. I should have mentioned it earlier, but I thought you'd realize that for yourselves. This is a place of study and research, but we rarely use high-powered magic here. Some consider that one of the benefits of residing at the Temple."

 

Xelloss saw her glance at Kervan for a second as she said this, but he was busy watching Zel and Xelloss with an odd sort of smile that almost wasn't a smile at all.

 

Zelgadis ducked his head, blushing yet again. "I did notice something like that," he muttered contritely. Then he scowled up at Marcus. "Of course, our former guide didn't happen to mention this when we asked him about the rules here," he added.

 

"It's not a rule, exactly!" Marcus said quickly, but Kervan turned to him with a withering look.

 

"Marcus..." It was more of a long-suffering sigh than anything else.

 

Marcus winced. "I forgot!"

 

"It isn't a rule, in fact," Kemara said, "Magic is _not_ forbidden here, but it must be used with caution."

 

Xelloss hadn't really thought about it, but now that he did, it made perfect sense that spells would be affected by the magical energy field he sensed. He wondered briefly about the look Kemara had given Kervan. Not many humans knew a Miasma Shockwave when they saw it, and Kervan seemed to have seen more than one and survived. He hadn't noticed any particular magical energy in the man, but now he wondered if Kervan was a sorcerer who had also discovered this the hard way.

 

That wasn't really any concern of his, though. He took a good look at Zelgadis, and checked him over on the astral side as well to make sure he was fully recovered. Zel must have sensed his inspection, and turned to him with a grin.

 

"Well, then, we'll have to take this part of our research outside the Temple grounds from now on, I guess," Zelgadis said. "Next time, Mazoku," he muttered under his breath.

 

"You should have defended yourself when I told you to, chimera," Xelloss chided softly so only Zel's ears could hear him.

 

Seeing that the excitement was over and that the Acting High Priestess had things under control, most of the people from the other cottages went back inside, shaking heads or shrugging shoulders. A couple of them headed out through the gate to begin their day at the Temple, doing a fair job of not staring too obviously as they passed. Xelloss guessed they would all be buzzing with stories of their startling wake up call, and he had a feeling the words "lovers' quarrel" were going to come back to haunt him and Zelgadis later in the day.

 

Putting his customary smile in place, Xelloss turned back to Kemara and the others, "In the meantime, Zel-san, what about your more theoretical magical research? I see that both our guide and our scribe are here!"

 

He smiled at Myona, who shuffled awkwardly beside his sister. Marcus, on the other hand, took a step backwards.

 

"Eh, you don't really need a scribe right away, do you? I thought, that is, you'll have to get to know your way around first and study a bit before you need anything written down, won't you?"

 

"What he means," Kervan said in a dry tone, "is that since he heard he's been replaced as a guide, he was planning to sleep in this morning."

 

"Kervan!" Marcus whined at him, but he didn't bother to deny it.

 

Kervan turned to him with a raised eyebrow and a quirk of a smile on his lips, which made Marcus stammer into silence - and blush. Watching them, it occurred to Xelloss that Kervan might have been planning on a late morning as well, and that "sleep" might not actually be what Marcus was looking forward to having more of.

 

"Yes, Marcus, you are officially off duty until Zelgadis-san sends for you," Kemara said with an indulgent smile at the two men. She turned to Zelgadis. "My brother has agreed to be your guide, as you requested."

 

Myona looked up at Zelgadis with a shy smile, which Zelgadis returned with an uncertain one of his own.

 

"Thank you for asking me," Myona said in his soft voice.

 

"I hope you don't mind being dragged away from kitchen duty," Zelgadis said. "I thought that if anyone knows his way around this place, it would be you."

 

"I don't mind at all," Myona said. A little spot of color appeared in each pale cheek. "I'll do my best," he added with a little bow. "I'm honored to be of service to you, Zelgadis-sama."

 

"He really is pleased that you asked for his help, even if it did mean getting up before sunrise," Kemara said teasingly. "I thought you might want to start early, so I didn't want to keep you waiting."

 

Behind her back, Xelloss heard Myona mutter something barely audible even to his ears about the crack of dawn.

 

"Ah, of course, that's why you're here so early," Xelloss said. He was relieved that his and Zel's use of magic wasn't what had drawn her here after all. "I'm sorry you didn't find us more presentable when you arrived!"

 

"As far as that goes," Kemara said. She gave Zelgadis a quick glance up and down - an appreciative glance, Xelloss couldn't help but notice. Her cheeks were pink, but her eyes twinkled. "While the Temple's dress code isn't strict, if you're planning to attend a Recitation or visit Spearos-sama, it might be better to dress a little more formally!"

 

Zelgadis twitched and flushed; he'd forgotten he had next to nothing on, and what he did have on was now full of holes.

 

"Excuse me," he said. "I didn't - I'll just ... "

 

Xelloss barely managed to hold back a giggle as Zelgadis marched back to the cottage at a pace just short of an undignified dash. Someone else giggled, but for once it wasn't him.

 

Kervan and Marcus went back to their cottage, while Kemara and Myona walked across the green with Xelloss. He excused himself at the door and followed Zelgadis inside their own little house, only to find him nearly dressed already, which was fairly impressive considering how far and wide his clothes had been flung the night before. Barefoot and holding one boot in his hand, Zel stood in the middle of the bedroom, looking around in all directions.

 

"Do you to have any idea where my other boot is, by any chance?" he asked, as if Xelloss might have deliberately hid it on him. He might have, but he hadn't in this case.

 

"Try under the chair in the other room. I think I heard it land there, and I distinctly remember you hopping on one foot when we came through the bedroom door last night," Xelloss answered. "You were trying to get the other one off in something of a hurry, if you remember."

 

"Oh. Right," Zelgadis answered, blushing right on cue. He turned to go back to the other room, then paused in mid-step. His lips curled up in disgust when he spotted Martina's book lying where Xelloss had left it on the windowsill.

 

"Oh, yes," Xelloss said cheerfully, picking it up. "I read it while you were sleeping. It's quite entertaining! I'm sure Lina-san will want to give Martina her opinion about it in person when she finds out about it. I really must read the rest of them now!"

 

Zelgadis shook his head and turned away.

 

"I think Kervan has the others; maybe he'll let you borrow them. In fact, you should probably give that one to him, since it was his copy of a Princess book that I sliced up yesterday," he muttered as he left the room.

 

"Actually, I think I have an even better idea," Xelloss said as he followed Zelgadis back outside.

 

Kemara was saying something quietly to her brother, who nodded and murmured absently, seeming more interested in the runes around the cottage door. They both looked up when Xelloss and Zelgadis came outside.

 

Xelloss stepped up to Kemara and held out Martina's book. When she saw what it was, her eyes went nearly as round and wide as her brother's could become.

 

"Xelloss-sama! That's _The Sorcerer's Secret_! The last book! You have it?" she gasped. "Myona, look! Oh, my, Kervan-san will be - and so will - !"

 

"So will a lot of people," Myona finished for her, coming over to take a look at it. He didn't seem nearly as excited about it as she was.

 

"No doubt they will," Xelloss said, "but I thought it would be best if you are the first to read it, High Priestess-sama. Consider it a contribution in kind to the Temple, if you wish!"

 

She took it from him as if she couldn't believe he'd simply hand such a precious treasure over so easily. Myona stood next to her, craning his neck to see the cover. Something about it made him frown.

 

"Don't judge it by its cover until you've read it," Xelloss said. "I think perhaps you'll understand what's being pictured there rather better than the artist who rendered the scene did."

 

They both looked at him quizzically. Zelgadis snorted derisively, then caught himself and turned serious.

 

"Yes, actually, Kemara-sama," he said. "Xelloss is probably right in this case. Now that I think about it, it makes more sense for you to read that book than it did for Martina to write the thing."

 

Intrigued, Kemara studied the book more closely, drawing her finger down the edge of the cover. For a moment Xelloss thought she was going to open it and begin reading on the spot. Instead, she grasped it firmly in both hands as if to control the temptation, and tucked it out of sight within her robe. Myona looked mildly amused.

 

"I'm pleased to accept your gift on behalf of the Temple, Xelloss-sama," she said with a formal nod. "Now, I have duties to attend to, and so, little brother, do you!"

 

She bowed once more to them. With Myona out of sight behind her, she barely whispered "thank you!" to Zelgadis. Then, with a distinctively sisterly "do your best" look at Myona, she turned and left through the gate in the hedge.

 

"That should be interesting," Zelgadis murmured after watching her leave.

 

Myona stared after her a moment as well, then turned to them. He was perfectly well dressed and groomed this morning, and looked quite the proper guide, but Xelloss could sense him chafing in his polished boots and his silver-trimmed tunic.

 

"Where would you like me to take you first, Zelgadis-sama?" he asked politely.

 

"Yes, Zel-san," Xelloss said. "Where to begin? Should we visit Spearos-sama, the Head Archivist, first, or try for a bit of the Claire Bible?"

 

Zelgadis smirked. "You have to ask? My day started with getting my ass kicked and my brain scrambled in front of a bunch of strangers. I'm not really in the mood to be polite and formal with a skeptical Head Archivist."

 

Myona looked relieved to hear that he wouldn't have face Spearos first thing in the morning. Zelgadis gave Xelloss a grin that was almost threatening, and Xelloss knew exactly what was coming next.

 

"Besides, if it's possible to hear a Claire Bible manuscript recitation, I'd definitely rather do that first. After all the times I've come so close to it and missed out, I'm not passing up a chance to hear some of it - especially with you standing right there watching me!"

 

"Zel-san, that was always business, not anything personal at all!" Xelloss protested automatically. "It couldn't be helped!"

 

"Even so, you enjoyed watching me tear my hair out every time another manuscript copy slipped from my grasp, didn't you?"

 

"Well, I do try to mix pleasure with business whenever possible!" Xelloss admitted.

 

Zelgadis scowled, but he was too excited about his search to be as irritated at the memory as usual. Xelloss was anxious about it as well, in a less comfortable way.

 

"Really, I'm just as curious as you are in this case," Xelloss insisted, which was certainly true. "Myona-chan, can you bring us to a place where we might arrange to hear a recital of a Claire Bible passage this morning?"

 

"I can take you to the Dawn Pavilion; that's where they have the Claire Bible recitations. If you're really sure that's what you want to do...?" he said hesitantly.

 

"Why on earth wouldn't I?" Zelgadis said, eyes glittering with excitement. His sense of anticipation was so sharp it almost made Xelloss wince.

 

"I don't know, but..." Myona said. His eyebrows curled up like question marks on his puzzled face. "Why do you want to hear about the Claire Bible or the Beast Tribes, Zelgadis-sama? I don't know for sure, but I think there's a lot more that you could use to help Xelloss hunt down the Soldiers of Shimer in the old spell books here, and probably even more in the Asmalath family library...."

 

Xelloss nearly fell over in surprise. Zelgadis stared at Myona like a gape-mouthed stone statue.

 

"How did you know that's what I'm looking for?" Zelgadis finally said. He frowned. "Where you standing there watching us long enough to hear me say so earlier? Does Kemara know, too?"

 

Myona blinked once, then shook his head. "No, but I - that is, I thought that's why you were practicing magic attacks together. And you were going to kill Marcus-san until my sister stopped you, so I thought... " He cocked his head and turned to Xelloss. "That's what your mission is now, isn't it, Xelloss-dono? To hunt for the rest of the Shrinekeepers? And Zelgadis-sama is going to help you, like - that is - like he did at the Shrine of Shimer. Isn't that right?"

 

He looked at each of them anxiously, as if he was terribly worried that he might be wrong after all.

 

"Well, since you've guessed already, I suppose I can say that it is my mission, or at least part of it," Xelloss said. "Although, now that I think about it, it's probably just as well if Kamara-sama doesn't hear that."

 

Myona nodded and smiled a little smile, obviously relieved. "Even if she does, she probably wouldn't stop you, although she probably won't help you, either."

 

"Wait," Zelgadis said, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Did you just say something about spell books? Here?"

 

Myona nodded. "There's an old library here that's full of spell-lore; old books and scrolls and tablets and stuff. Some of it's written in that weird writing like the kind that's on your cottage. Hardly anyone here can read most of it; the Loremasters here don't care much about stuff that's written down. And I've heard that there's even more spell books in the Asmalath family's library, too. Some of the books there are supposed to come from the time of Lei Magnus, thousands of years ago, but I don't know if that's true or not. I just thought that, maybe, you... "

 

Myona trailed off, quickly backing away from Zelgadis. The chimera's glowing eyes were about to pop out of his head, and he looked ready to lunge at their startled guide. Xelloss would have been amused if he hadn't been nearly as surprised by what Myona was saying.

 

"Now, now, Zel-san," he said, patting Zel's arm, "you're going to give Myona-chan nightmares again!"

 

"Damn!" Zelgadis muttered after he'd managed to pull his tongue back into his mouth and pull himself together again. "Why didn't someone mention this earlier?"

 

"Probably because you didn't ask," Xelloss answered helpfully. "It seems you're faced with an embarrassment of riches, Zelgadis-san! Which will it be: Claire Bible or Lei Magnus?"

 

He would have been delighted if Zelgadis had taken Myona's hint and gone for the spell books, but he probably shouldn't have said anything in that case. Reminding Zel of his presence only seemed to clarify things for his single-minded chimera. After another smirk in his direction, Zelgadis stared out through the gate at the Temple grounds with the familiar gleam in his eyes.

 

"For now... Take us to the Dawn Pavilion, please, Myona," he said.

 

Myona's thin shoulders drooped. Disappointed but resigned, he turned to lead them through the gate in the hedge.

 

A boardwalk began a few steps beyond the gate and climbed across the side of a hill, lined by wild rose bush hedges that were heavy with rose hips and a few faded flowers. They walked along this for a minute or two with their boots clumping on the wooden boards and Zelgadis' excitement buzzing steadily louder against Xelloss' senses. At the top of a rise, Myona paused. Beyond this point the Temple gardens dipped like a shallow bowl set on its side, and the boardwalk became a bridge across the upper edge of the bowl. They could look out from here to the West across the bay, where a bank of colorless clouds blended into the gray sea, and a fitful glint of sunlight touched the waves here and there.

 

The tall evergreen trees hid the village below, but Xelloss' eyes were drawn to the dark stone shapes on the hooked cliff to the south. He couldn't really sense the place from here through the haze of the Temple's aura, but even in the shaft of sunlight that slanted down from the mountains behind the bay, it had a black look to his eyes. He wanted to ask their guide about it, but Myona lifted his arm and pointed to a round, golden-roofed gazebo on the opposite side of the gardens.

 

"That's the Dawn Pavilion. We can stop by the kitchen for breakfast on the way; they won't start the recitation until the sun hits the roof of it."

 

The sun had already risen far enough over the mountain behind the village to send thin beams of light through the clouds onto the lower part of the Temple grounds, but the pavilion was far up on the hillside; it would be one of the last places to come out of the mountain's shadow. Zelgadis seemed to be measuring the distance from it to the dining hall below, trying to guess how long this would take. Xelloss wouldn't have been entirely surprised if he chose to skip breakfast entirely for the occasion, but it appeared they had time for a cup of coffee, at least.

 

"And if they happen to be reciting a part of the Claire Bible, do you have any idea what part of this vast record we'll actually get to hear, Myona-chan?" Xelloss asked.

 

"I don't know what part they'll be doing this morning. I haven't attended a recitation for months, so I don't know where they are in the cycle. If we're lucky, though, maybe it will be one of the good parts!"

 

"This morning?" Xelloss said, surprised. "Do you mean to say they do this every morning?"

 

"And are you saying you've heard parts of it already?" Zelgadis asked even more wonderingly, as Myona began to lead them along the walkway on a criss-crossing, wandering path toward the dining hall.

 

"A few. Well, a lot, I guess," Myona admitted. "Sort of," he mumbled.   
  


"You guess?" Zelgadis said, his voice rising to a squeak of surprise.

 

"Sort of?" Xelloss echoed.

 

Myona nodded; his cheeks were pink. "I'm supposed to be studying as a cleric, so I used to go to all the recitations. But I'm not allowed to go to them anymore, or at least I haven't been until now. The Loremasters didn't like it because... I kept falling asleep." He flashed a sheepish grin at them.

 

Xelloss stared at him; Zelgadis was doing the same, open-mouthed. Xelloss wasn't sure which was more astonishing, the fact that these sections of the rare and secret Claire Bible were apparently available to anyone at the Temple on a daily basis, or the fact that anyone could find the manuscript so uninteresting that it put him to sleep. They exchanged a glance before Zelgadis caught his breath enough to speak.

 

"You slept through the Claire Bible? Are you certain this is the genuine Claire Bible manuscripts we're talking about?" he asked faintly.

 

Myona nodded. "They've all been verified. Sometimes I wonder if the fakes are more interesting."

 

Zelgadis blinked at him, amazed beyond words. Xelloss felt Zel's surprise mingle with his own. Then again, he thought, maybe he shouldn't be so surprised. After all, the Claire Bible was the entire collected thoughts of a dead god - and presumably that meant every single thought, no matter how trivial. In its original form, specific parts of the information it contained could be accessed directly by magical means, but the only two ways he knew of to get to it that way had been destroyed by Gaav. Taken down in manuscript form, filtered through the minds and memory of human sorcerers, the bulk of it was hardly likely to all be fascinating reading material. On the other hand, the parts that would be most interesting to humans were likely to be downright dangerous as well, and not only to humans.

 

"What would you consider to be the good parts? I assume there are some sections that didn't put you to sleep quite so quickly?" he asked Myona.

 

Myona turned and grinned crookedly at him. "There's a lot of boring stuff about the Dragon Lords and the hierarchy of the Dragon Elder Tribes - that all goes on forever - and a lot of other stuff that doesn't even make sense. But there're some great sections that tell about the War of the Dark Lord's Resurrection, and about the God-sealing Barrier and the Five Mazoku Sub-lords; those are a lot more interesting. It even mentions you, Xelloss-dono! Not by name, of course - unfortunately! - but it talks about how the Five Lords created their priests and generals to help in the war."

 

"Really?" Zelgadis said, quirking an eyebrow at Xelloss.

 

Xelloss didn't answer. He supposed it made sense that those parts of the Water Dragon Lord's memories had survived into manuscript form, but he'd never realized the information in the Claire Bible got quite so personal.

 

"I can't resist this," Zelgadis said. "If you're sure they're going to be doing a recitation from the Claire Bible, and not something else?"

 

"That's the only thing they recite at the Dawn Pavilion," Myona said. "Every day... all day long..."

 

The dread in his voice was entirely lost on Zelgadis.

 

At the nearly empty dining hall, Xelloss watched uncomfortably as Zelgadis chomped down a quick breakfast with as much grace as Lina after a starvation march, while Myona nibbled on a roll and took a few sips of tea. By the time they stood at the door of the Pavilion a few minutes later, it was the only Temple building that wasn't dappled by the sunlight poking through breaks in the clouds above. A few other students, young humans and a couple of beast folk, had gathered around the door as well, looking just as unenthusiastic as Myona was. Unsurprisingly, Zelgadis made no effort to stifle his gleeful anticipation for Xelloss' benefit when a blue-robed Loremaster appeared and swept through them to enter the pavilion.

 

Zelgadis was the first to enter after him, while Myona was the last, murmuring a whispered plea for one of the good parts as he followed Xelloss inside. Between Myona's dread and Zelgadis' joy, Xelloss didn't know whether to hope for a good part or not.

 

\---

 

Many years ago, Xelloss remembered, he had been assigned to infiltrate the Sorcerers' Guild's finest Academy of Magic. He'd spent the longest six months of his life attending classes, lectures, and practical study sessions at this illustrious place of human learning. At first it had been entertaining to watch inept young sorcerers accidentally blow each other up and to listen to absurdly incorrect theories of magic, but the novelty of all that had worn off in the first couple of weeks. Before much more time had passed, he was certain that if he was mortal, he would have died of boredom. When he finally left to make his report, it was with a huge sense of relief and a new respect for the depths of human ignorance. He was amazed that they managed to practice magic at all.

 

After that, he didn't think that anything on Earth could possibly be more boring. In the Dawn Pavilion of the Temple of the Golden Lord that day, he found out he was wrong.

 

They emerged from the Pavilion just in time to see the last beams of a golden sunset breaking through the clouds of the next approaching storm. The sky was deep blue overhead; an unexpectedly fine autumn day had come and gone while they sat unmoving in the pavilion.

 

The other students yawned and stretched and seem to come back to life as they headed off for dinner, already talking of other things, except for one pale boy who actually tried to discuss the finer points of the Recitation with another student. His victim winced and ducked out of range as quickly as possible. The Loremaster swept out in a flurry of blue just as he'd come in, pausing only to scowl at Myona, who had fallen deeply and obviously asleep halfway through the recitation with Zelgadis' rocky shoulder as a pillow.

 

Zelgadis simply looked dazed. He had stubbornly remained attentive to every word, even though Xelloss guessed that his mind was nearly as bruised from lack of thought now as it had been after he'd grazed it with his Miasma Shockwave that morning. Xellos felt rather numb, as well. The only thing worse than a room full of cheerful humans was a room full of stiflingly bored ones.

 

"I take it that was not one of the good parts?" Xelloss said lightly while Myona rubbed his eyes.

 

"The Making of the Worlds," Myona said around a poorly muffled yawn. "It's the third longest entire segment, and that part's near the beginning of it. It'll go on like that for weeks."

 

"The Making of the Worlds?" Zelgadis burst out. "Is that what it was about? It sounded more like some drunken poet's nightmare!"

 

"My my, Zel-san, what a thing to say about the Claire Bible!" Xelloss chided, grinning.

 

"Did it make sense to you?" Zelgadis snapped.

 

"In a sense - a human sense, that is. Remember, these are segments of the thoughts of the Water Dragon Lord, whose perception of things is not easily translatable into human language. You know how that is, Zelgadis-san! Think of the astral magic you've learned that can't be explained in human terms. Considering that, it could have been a fairly accurate description of how the Four Worlds were made!"

 

Zelgadis glared at him skeptically.

 

"Could have been?"

 

"Or," Xelloss shrugged happily, "it might equally have been a lot of nonsense! Who am I to say, being only a humble priest of a Mazoku Lord? We don't discuss Creation very much back home, you know!"

 

"Who indeed," Zelgadis muttered. "Whatever it was, the conversation Myona must have been having with Dream Master was probably more enlightening."

 

"Huh? Dream Master?" Myona said. He shook his tousled head in confusion. "No, not here...I was asleep, anyway..."

 

Zelgadis hung his head with a tired groan. Xelloss placed his fingers against his lips as if in thought, hiding his smile. Zelgadis was even grumpier than he'd been when he first woke up this morning, which was a much better outcome to the day then Xelloss had expected.

 

The last rays of sunlight were swallowed up by the storm clouds. Zelgadis stretched, making joints and stone skin creak. Myona's stomach growled.

 

"Let's go to dinner, if it's not too late already," Zelgadis grumbled. "Myona-chan, if I ask the Loremasters, is there any chance of getting to hear some other Manuscript segments sooner than sitting through all of this?"

 

"Maybe," Myona said with a little shrug. "If that's really what you want..."

 

Zelgadis laughed briefly and humorlessly. "But you think it's all as worthless as that, if I'm looking for attack and defense spells, don't you?"

 

Myona shrugged with one of his crooked little smiles. "That's for you to say, Zelgadis-sama."

 

"Fine," Zelgadis said with a resigned puff of a sigh. He glared once more at Xelloss as if he'd planned it this way. "I'm not giving up on the Claire Bible yet, but...."

 

"But?" Xelloss asked mildly.

 

"Myona, how soon can I get my hands on the contents of this library no one bothers to read?"

 

"Oh! That," Myona said, perking up a little more. "It's protected by a warding spell, but you just need a password from Sis or Spearos-sama to get inside."

 

"Fine, then," Zel said again. "Let's go to dinner. You can sit with us, can't you?"

 

Myona's eyes got big; he finally seemed to be fully awake again. "Can I?"

 

Grinning, Zelgadis met Xelloss' glance over the boy's head. "Why not? Then you can tell us one of your stories, too. It's bound to be more interesting than The Making of the Worlds!"

 

Myona's sudden flood of mingled emotions took Xelloss by surprise. Among his excitement and a twinge of pride (and a pang of plain human hunger), Xelloss sensed not one but several delectable strands of fear. How much was from Zel's invitation to sit with them among all the high-ranking Loremasters of the temple and how much came from the stories Myona knew, Xelloss couldn't tell, but he was certain that the emotions were being revealed for his benefit. As Myona led the way back to the dining hall, he glanced back at Xelloss shyly for a second with his large eyes gleaming.

 

"Myona-chan, you certainly are just as excellent at serving dinner as you are at being a guide," Xelloss said appreciatively.

 

Stomping along beside him, Zelgadis "hmphd" under his breath. Xelloss grinned all the way to the dining hall.

 

to be continued...

 

 


	14. An Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After that uninspiring "glimpse" of the Claire Bible, Zel's quest for magical knowledge and the Lost City of Skye continues, and Xelloss is relieved to find it heading off in a new direction.

 

Try as he might, Xelloss could not hide his grin and barely kept his feet on the ground as he followed the other two towards the dining hall. Zelgadis was fuming with renewed frustration, Myona was quaking in his boots, and both of their moods only got worse when they arrived at the hall. Added to the intriguing aura of the Temple, it made him feel rather like one of those giddy humans who indulged in a few drinks before dinner.

 

Myona stopped short in the doorway, and Zelgadis slowed to a halt right behind him. Peering between them, Xelloss could see why; the place was even more crowded than it had been the night before. There were only two seats open at the head table, and those two seats were right between a scowling Head Archivist Spearos and a frantically waving Erta-san.

 

Besides that, Myona's distress spiked to a new level as he craned his neck, searching the crowd for a glimpse of his sister. Kemara was nowhere to be seen. Near the kitchen, however, Xelloss noticed the bat-winged serving girl sidling along behind the busy tables, eyeing Myona from under her mascaraed lashes with a predatory twist of her lips. Evidentially, Zelgadis had spotted her as well. His hand landed on Myona's shoulder and his anger flared.

 

"You're with us," he growled.

 

"But..." Myona whimpered. He didn't budge through the door, but then again, Zelgadis wasn't exactly pushing his way inside, either. Xelloss realized that both of his companions were inclined to skip another meal rather than face what waited within the room, no matter how hungry they were.

 

He had an urge to suggest that Erta-san would probably love to hear Myona's stories about the ruins - he knew he would love to see her reaction to them, anyway, and he suspected Myona's blast of terror at the thought would be delicious, if he didn't just bolt and run - but he decided against it. He wasn't particularly eager to face the loremasters again, either, especially not without the High Priestess present to keep them on good behavior. If anything, they looked even more hungry for stories than they had been the first night - and the words "lovers' quarrel" came back to Xelloss' mind just then. As amusing as it would be to watch Zelgadis blush and glare over those words, he didn't really care to feed their curiosity about the incident on the green that morning.

 

There was an even better reason to get away from them, though, as far as he was concerned. Even with Myona standing right next to him, generously offering up his own little appetizer of dark emotions, it was still the chimera's familiar feast that Xelloss craved. After all, he hadn't let Zelgadis ignore him for this long since the day they arrived at Mystport, and after spending the entire day in a room full of bored humans, _he_ was hungry, too.

 

Myona's stomach growled again. Zelgadis glanced down at him, suddenly and inconveniently concerned for the boy's well-being.

 

"I suppose we should..." he muttered, and took a step forward.

 

"The kitchen will package up dinner to take to your room, or even have it delivered," a voice behind them said.

 

They all turned to see Kervan standing on the porch, with Marcus right behind him. Each of them held a large wicker hamper from which the aroma of fish stew escaped. Zelgadis eyed the baskets, then turned to Myona, who nodded in agreement.

 

"We do that a lot, especially for students, so if that's what you prefer..."

 

Zelgadis grinned. Xelloss winced at the flood of relief that washed over both of them.

 

"Thank you," Zelgadis said to Kervan.

 

"I said that, didn't I?" Marcus piped up. "When I was showing you around yesterday? Well, I meant to if I didn't, anyway...."

 

"No doubt," Kervan said noncommittally, cutting off Marcus' apologetic ramble. "At any rate, enjoy your dinner," he added, with a glance at each of them, last and longest at Xelloss.

 

"I'm sure we will!" Xelloss answered cheerfully as they turned and walked away together.

 

Zelgadis headed around the corner of the porch toward the side door to the kitchen, with Myona right beside him. He didn't look to see if Xelloss was following or not, but spoke back over his shoulder.

 

"If that bunch inside is more appetizing for you, feel free..." he said.

 

"Certainly not!" Xelloss said. He did pause in the doorway, but only long enough to wave goodbye to the loremasters and servers, and watch their eager faces fall as their prey slipped out of reach.

 

The cooks were indeed willing and pleased to provide their honored guests with all they could eat and more, even though the head chef chided Zelgadis for taking "our best server" away to other duties. Myona stared down at the floor and mumbled "sorry" almost too softly to be heard over the clatter and talk in the busy kitchen. The chef, a stocky wolf-man with grey hair tied back in a pony tail, smiled at him and waved off his apology, which confused Myona into blushing silence. The wolf-man lifted a hand, and for a moment Xelloss thought he was going to reach out and ruffle Myona's already messy hair, but instead he just rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head.

 

The three of them were soon out on the veranda, each holding a basket full of nearly enough food to satisfy several hungry humans (or one Lina Inverse, as Zelgadis remarked). Even Xelloss had a share, which the cooks had pressed upon him with such enthusiasm that he didn't really have a chance to refuse. Zelgadis led the way toward the edge of the porch, obviously intending to Levitate back to the cottage, or possibly Ray Wing back; he was anxious enough to be away from the Loremasters that Xelloss thought he'd be willing to risk spilling some soup for the sake of a speedier flight. Myona hung back, however, with another flutter of fear that caught Xelloss by surprise.

 

He turned to question Myona about it just as a blur of movement caught the corner of his eye. A second later, he heard the "thwack!" of something soft running into something hard, a loud "ooof!" and a groan. Xelloss turned back to see a pale young man standing beside Zelgadis, wincing and holding his hand to his nose, which must have been what he heard smacking into the chimera's stone shoulder.

 

"Sorry," Zelgadis mumbled, quite unapologetically.

 

"Oww... " The student, whom Xelloss recognized as being the only one who had been excited by the Claire Bible recitation rather than numbed by it, rubbed his nose carefully. It looked like it might swell up but it wasn't broken, which Xelloss thought was luck for him at the speed he'd been moving at impact. He also clutched a place on his ribs which, Xelloss guessed, would have been at about the point of Zelgadis' elbow.

 

"You'll want a healer for that bruise, I expect," he murmured, amused.

 

The student blinked several times. He had pale green eyes with oval pupils that made Xelloss suspect there was a bit of the feline in his genetic mix, although he appeared entirely human otherwise. He also had the pale, thin look of an avid scholar who didn't see the light of day very often, and his light colored hair was cropped so short that he might nearly as well have shaved it off entirely.

 

"Oh, I see!" the pale boy said. He poked a finger at Zel's shoulder, tapped the stone skin through Zel's shirtsleeve with a fingernail and nodded, looking grimly pleased. "Very dense, very high astral refractory factor, probably topaz at least, if not..."

 

"Shuno-san!" Myona groaned softly, rolling his eyes.

 

"Um? What?"

 

Shuno-san lost his train of thought and glanced up, right into Zelgadis' blazing blue eyes. Stone skin crackled as the chimera clenched his fists and his lip twisted in a furious grimace. Myona stepped back, Xelloss leaned forward, but the curious student only stared up at him for a second before suddenly breaking out into an exclamation.

 

"Oh, right! Zelgadis, the chimera-man! I have a message for you from Melly!"

 

"You - er, what?" Zelgadis stammered.

 

"A message?" Xelloss asked, just as surprised as Zel was.

 

"From Melly - Melianthus Asmalath, that is. You know - the Mala. He said to tell you to please come and visit him at his home tomorrow; he'd like to meet you and your friend Xelloss. You can go for breakfast if you want, around ten or so. Or anytime; he's always at home."

 

"The Mala?" Zelgadis repeated, eyes narrowing. "Are you sure?"

 

"Well, yes, of course I'm sure," Shuno answered irritably. "I _do_ know what I'm talking about, you know!"

 

"Yes, of course," Xelloss said placatingly, even though Shuno had not even turned toward him and hardly seemed to notice he was there. He remembered hearing a bit of Shuno's enthusiastic analysis of "The Making of Worlds" that morning, and although he probably wasn't the best to judge, he'd gotten the impression that the boy had missed the point entirely - assuming there was a point to be missed.

 

"Thank you for passing along the message. I'm sure Zelgadis-san will be glad to meet The Mala at his home tomorrow. Isn't that right, Zel-san?" he said helpfully.

 

"I - uh, yes!" Zelgadis seemed startled to hear himself answering. He still glowered at the kid for poking at him like he was no more than a rock specimen, but he could hardly say no to an invitation to the very place he wanted to go. "Tell him I look forward to meeting him, tomorrow at ten. And, uh, thank you..."

 

"Fine then," the student waved a hand and turned away, brushing past Myona as if he wasn't there. "I'll tell him tonight if I see him."

 

He disappeared around the corner, still muttering about hardness factors and energy refraction, evidently on his way to fetch his own dinner from the kitchen - or, Xelloss thought with a grin, perhaps to conduct some random elemental experiment on something in the garbage bin. He seemed the type. Zelgadis just stared after him with his mouth hanging open.

 

Myona put his hand over his face and shook his head.

 

"He's such a dork," he muttered.

 

"Is he really on friendly terms with The Mala?" Xelloss asked.

 

"Well, Shuno studies magical theory a lot, so I guess he spends quite a lot of time in the Asmalath library since they don't really teach that here. I've seen them talking now and then, or rather, I've seen Shuno talking and Melly listening. Or pretending to listen. Nobody really listens to Shuno."

 

"I wonder why?" Zelgadis said flatly.

 

He stared at the corner where Shuno had disappeared for a second longer, and Xelloss had to wonder if he was about to ask for the exploding fish spell he'd seen Xelloss use the night before. Then Zelgadis suddenly seemed to remember the basket in his hands.

 

"Enough," he muttered, "Our dinner's getting cold. Let's go."

 

He returned to the edge of the porch and began to cast his flight spell - Ray Wing, as Xelloss had expected. Myona bit his lip and watched him, knuckles white on the handle of his dinner basket.

 

"Small spells like this are safe enough here at the Temple, aren't they, Myona-san?" he asked, mildly.

 

"I - yes, small spells are, but."

 

"You prefer to keep your feet on the ground, I take it?"

 

Myona nodded. "I can't ... "

 

His eyes closed and he swallowed hard; this was no deliberately manufactured fear for Xelloss' benefit, but Myona seemed determined to let Xelloss enjoy all of it, just the same.

 

"You can't cast the spell? Ah, I'll bring you along then, shall I?" Xelloss said casually.

 

Myona let go of his death-grip on the basket with one hand, and reached toward Xelloss with shaking fingers.

 

Xelloss lifted Myona in his own wind field with one hand around the boy's thin wrist, feeling every beat of his racing heart. Zelgadis glanced back at them and scowled, seeing the terror clearly visible on Myona's face as they flew, and Xelloss shrugged and smiled back to reassure him that this was only a necessity, not a pleasure. But between Myona's flight-terror and Zelgadis' irritation, he was the one who was a bit distracted on the trip back this time.

 

The clear day quickly gave way to a chilly evening as the sun dropped behind the line of clouds out on the western horizon. They ate out on the green in front of the cottage, mostly in silence at first. Zelgadis brooded, paying little attention to the meal. Xelloss guessed he was still trying to figure out if there was any sense to be made from the Recitation, but he would have been shocked if that endeavor succeeded. Eventually Zelgadis shook his head, as if to toss off the jumbled words that were probably still rattling around in his mind.

 

"Pffh!" He grimaced. "I hope the Mala's library has more to offer than the Dawn Pavilion - or," he added with a suspicious glare at Xelloss, "any other part of the Claire Bible, most likely."

 

Xelloss grinned, and didn't bother to say, once again, that he'd seen nothing in the Claire Bible that would be of personal interest to Zelgadis, anyway. The fact that the chimera was still thinking about the manuscripts was more annoying than worrisome now. It was purely for personal reasons that he wanted to get Zel's mind off the bothersome book and onto something more entertaining - something like the bath out behind their cottage, for example.

 

His plan to distract Zelgadis away from the Claire Bible fragments might have become a moot point now, anyway, if Zelgadis' sense of disgust with the Recitation was anything to go by. That took one load off of Xelloss' back, and left him free to pursue his own careful inquiries into what troublesome information might be lurking in the memories of the loremasters, and then to figure out what he could do about it if there was any.

 

But, he reasoned, with no Claire Bible manuscripts to worry about and with Zelgadis safely sheltered from any Followers of Shimer, he was also free to "distract" him simply because he wanted to. And he definitely did want to.

 

Zelgadis stretched and massaged the back of his neck, stiff from sitting all day. That gave Xelloss just the opening he was looking for.

 

"Well, after a long day of study, a good hot bath is just the thing, don't you think, Zel-san?" he said, with a brilliant, harmless smile.

 

Zelgadis jerked upright and went stiff, then turned to glare at Xelloss with blue eyes glittering - but not with the blast of irritation that Xelloss expected. He was shocked into silence himself by the sudden, unmistakable heat in the chimera's gaze, and the slow grin that followed. To his surprise and delight, he realized that Zelgadis was suddenly aware of how long he'd been distracted away from Xelloss, too, and that he intended to rectify that situation as soon as possible.

 

Xelloss almost forgot there was anyone else there, until he heard Myona shift around on the grass across from them.

 

"I should be going... I guess..." he heard Myona murmur.

 

Xelloss glanced over just in time to see the boy look away with a surprising, sly little grin on his face, and a flush in his pale cheeks. Xelloss frowned; he didn't think the looks he and Zelgadis were giving each other were _that_ obvious.

 

The grin quickly disappeared when Myona's gaze lifted to look across the bay toward the hooked point, now a looming shadow against the twilight grey of the sea beyond it. Then he looked down toward the lower part of the Temple grounds, where a few lamp lit windows could just be seen through the trees.

 

"I wonder why Sis wasn't at dinner," he said, "I should go see if everything's okay..."

 

He caught his lower lip between his teeth, his dark eyes wandering between the southern point and his home. Xelloss sensed the worry behind his words, but he was pretty sure he knew why the High Priestess hadn't been at the dining hall. He wondered how much of Martina's book she'd had a chance to read by now.

 

Zelgadis leaned toward Myona with a frown. Xelloss realized that the boy had his arms wrapped around himself, his hands tucked under his arms, and he was shivering. Neither he nor Zelgadis had noticed the cold.

 

"Take this," Zelgadis said, pulling off his cloak and offering it to Myona. "And I can bring you home if you want?"

 

Myona shook his head to both offers, with his usual shy ghost of a smile.

 

"Thank you, Zelgadis-sama, but I'll be fine walking." He stood up, but hesitated a moment before going on. "Um, do you want me back as your guide in the morning? I'd be glad to show you the way to the Mala's home, or anywhere else.... or if you don't need me I'll just go back to my regular work, I guess."

 

Zelgadis exchanged a quick glance with Xelloss; they probably knew the way to the Mala's home already, but Xelloss knew perfectly well what the answer would be.

 

"Yes, please come along as our guide, if you don't mind," Zelgadis said. "You don't have to be here at the crack of dawn, though!"

 

Myona gave them a quick bow, almost hiding the smile of relief that flashed across his face. "Thank you for allowing me to be of service to you, Zelgadis-sama, Xelloss-dono," he said. "I'll see you in the morning, then."

 

"Pleasant dreams!" Xelloss said as Myona turned away.

 

He thought he saw that secretive little grin on Myona's face again as he glanced back over his shoulder.

 

"And to you as well!" Myona said. He quickly faded into the twilight shadows of the trees at the edge of the green.

 

"Well, then, how about trying out the bath after all?" Xelloss said after he was gone.

 

Zelgadis turned to him, and the gleam in his eyes and the grin on his face hit Xelloss with a shock wave of desire, even before he felt the first light touch of the chimera's spirit nudge against his own.

 

"That," Zelgadis said, leaning toward him, "is the first sensible thing I've heard all day."

 

\---

 

 

The bath was barely large enough for two people to share, and very rustic, dimly lit by an oil lamp hanging from the roof, but bath supplies and towels were laid out ready for them and the place was as clean and pleasant as any inn Xelloss had ever seen. And private, which he decided was more to the point at the moment.

 

He nearly echoed Zelgadis' contented sigh as he slipped into the steaming water. He really must be spending too much time around humans, as a human, to enjoy this kind of purely physical pleasure so much, but it actually felt good to shed his clothes and feel his form engulfed by the liquid heat.

 

Aside from that, of course, the pleasure of watching Zelgadis stretch and relax into the bath, momentarily so distracted that he forgot to be self-conscious of his naked body, felt even more delicious than the physical sensations, and almost as sweet as the constant undercurrent of negative emotions that rippled from the chimera.

 

Xelloss watched the shifting light through the steam play over Zelgadis' stoney skin, the water gliding over his lean body, a sheen of moisture gathering on his lips and eyelids and hair as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Then a slight smile twitched the corners of Zel's lips, accompanied by a flicker of mingled humor and irritation.

 

"Are you just going to stand there and stare all night, or are you going to join me?" Zelgadis said, without opening his eyes.

 

Xelloss grinned, although he was a little surprised - Zelgadis actually inviting him to stare? That Recitation must have had some strange power in it after all! He sank into the bath alongside Zelgadis, casually - as if accidentally - brushing a hand up the chimera's leg as he settled down next to him. Zelgadis sighed again and shifted closer.

 

He turned so that he was facing Zelgadis, half leaning over him, teasingly running his hand up from his thigh to his ribs, and then to where the water lapped at his chest; he trailed trickling wet fingers over the rocky protrusions there, watching them glint in the steamy lamp light as the chimera's breath quickened. Zelgadis turned his head toward him, still with his eyes closed, a little crease in his brow half hidden by silver strands of damp hair. He lifted his hand from the water to touch Xelloss' hand, not to stop him from playing over his skin but to trail his own dripping fingers up Xelloss' arm.

 

Xelloss leaned over to lap at the water beading on Zel's skin, along his collarbone to his shoulder, enjoying the taste and sensation of the water steaming off his warm body just as much as the way his tongue made Zelgadis' breath quicken.

 

Pleasure and appreciation of Zelgadis' body grew and sharpened, and he suddenly caught himself feeling intensely thankful - like a prayer of gratitude toward the Mother of All for Her creation, or at least for _this_ part of it. _What an odd idea!_ he thought, startled, and not sure whether it was okay to be amused at himself for this or not.

 

"Apparently 'The Creation of Worlds' has muddled my brain as well!" he murmured against Zelgadis' skin.

 

He was definitely more amused when Zelgadis bunched his fist in Xelloss' hair.

 

"Will you _please_ stop thinking about that damn Claire Bible!" his chimera growled, very irritably, and Xelloss realized the tables had been turned on _him_.

 

"Oh, gladly!" he answered, smiling, and immediately returned his attention to the task at hand - which, for the moment, consisted only of tasting all of Zelgadis that he could.

 

Little shifts of emotion flickered against his senses, like the shifting tendrils of steam rising from the water, dark and light, barely discernible, but Xelloss didn't even bother to name them, only let them play across his senses just as his fingertips were playing with the water over Zelgadis' rough skin. The chimera's breath echoed like a whisper in the closed space, along with the _plink_ of drops falling from Xelloss' fingers and the quiet flutter of the lamp.

 

Xelloss leaned closer to watch the water droplets, the light and shadows under his hand, and that brought their faces closer together. Zelgadis opened his eyes - glittering and steamy, almost clear like smoky crystals in the soft light - and smiled, even as his emotions suddenly clenched in a dark shaft of frustration.

 

Xelloss didn't stop his sigh of pleasure quickly enough that time, but it was halted in mid-breath anyway when Zelgadis pulled him over and kissed him.

 

He could feel Zelgadis' astral form reaching out to him, but the chimera also seemed more intent on physical sensation tonight, as if he was still trying to ground himself after the nerve-deadening Recitation. Or maybe, Xelloss thought happily, he just wanted to be touched.

 

"No more lessons or experiments today," Zelgadis muttered. He groped up the inside of Xelloss' thigh, and sighed almost louder than Xelloss did when he reached his goal. Desire twined around Xelloss' senses, every bit as tangible as the chimera's touch on his body, more delicious than the tentative touch on the astral side.

 

Xelloss caught Zelgadis' hand and used it to pull him closer, onto his lap, until their bodies were pressed together under the water, and the chimera's breath was hotter on his face than the steam rising from the bath.

 

"I'm quite agreeable to taking the night off from playing teacher," Xelloss agreed, as Zelgadis' familiar conflicted emotions started to spiral up around him in pace with his arousal. "As long as..."

 

Zelgadis caught his mouth then, silencing him first with a sharp bite to his lip and then with his tongue, and that was the last coherent word either of them spoke for quite some time.

 

 

~~ to be continued. (don't faint, it's true! there will be more! And stuff will actually happen! Next chapter: The Mala.) ~~


	15. The Mala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious Mala makes a surprising first impression on Xelloss and Zelgadis. A rival for Zel's attention? What will Xelloss do!

 

While Zelgadis slept, Xelloss lay beside him in the dark and amused himself - entirely pointlessly, he was sure - by trying to recall any sensible details from "The Making of Worlds." As dull as that mental exercise was, it made the night fly by. Not that there was much night left by the time they finally left the bath and came inside the cottage to continue not having lessons, he remembered with a grin.

 

It was just turning light outside the window, the diffuse gray light of another misty morning, when an unusual sharp blast of emotional energy yanked Xelloss out of his virtual sleep. He glanced at Zelgadis, but the chimera was still sleeping soundly, not even dreaming as far as he could tell. The emotions he sensed came from outside the cottage, and were of quite another flavor entirely from Zelgadis' familiar, enticing mixture. In fact, Xelloss realized, the energy was similar to the odd miasma of the Temple: a taut blend of ecstasy and bittersweet sorrow, powerful yet muted, and difficult to fathom or absorb.

 

He peered out through the window and saw Kemara walking back and forth across the lawn in front of the cottage. No, hardly walking, he observed with a grin; she was fairly floating back and forth, dancing on bare feet in the wet grass with arms flung wide, and spinning each time she turned. Her black and red High Priestess robe was open, fluttering in her wake. He was amused to see that the dress she wore underneath it was all lace and flowers. One hand waved free in the air; in the other she held the final volume of The Princess of Fate.

 

Xelloss went out to greet the High Priestess of the Golden Lord.

 

"Oh! Xelloss-sama!" she cried as soon as she saw him, breaking the early morning stillness. She immediately clamped her hand over her mouth, but that didn't hide the huge smile that lit up her face, and of course it didn't dampen the shaft of pure joy that radiated from her.

 

"Oh," she continued more softly as she came over to him with her eyes shining. She clasped her hands over her heart, and tried, with very little success, to bring her joyful energy under control. Considering what he guessed to be the cause of those feelings, Xelloss didn't really mind them.

 

"You - Xelloss-sama, you _saw_ Her!" Kemara said, breathless with awe. "You _spoke_ with Her!" She caught herself up short on lingering doubt, and stopped in front of him, searching his face, hoping and wondering. "It is true, isn't it? That's what really happened?"

 

Xelloss smiled at her, eyes open and gleaming.

 

""I expected you would decipher the truth, Kemara-sama, no matter how badly Martina-san managed to twist it," he said. "It is true, just as you guessed from reading Martina-san's somewhat fanciful version of the event. The Golden Lord did indeed appear in the form of the sorceress Lina Inverse."

 

 _In place of Lina Inverse who had technically ceased to exist_ , he knew he should say, but since the Princess of Fate was not entirely clear on that point, he decided it wasn't necessary to elaborate any further. Kemara didn't question his answer. She grinned at him with a little more mischief in her eyes as she continued.

 

"I think the Loremasters and the official High Priestess will agree that the donation of this story covers your room and board here very nicely, for the entire winter if you and Zelgadis-san care to stay that long," she said. "Although you can surely expect to be badgered for more accurate details -- which, I will say right here and now, you are under no obligation to provide. However, we will also certainly welcome any other tale you might care to share with us!"

 

Xelloss bowed graciously. "I'm honored by your hospitality, Acting High Priestess-sama," he said. "And I'll be glad to tell a tale or two, although Zelgadis-san might warn you against letting me do so!"

 

He grinned, and she grinned right back. He had a feeling she might actually enjoy some of his stories, and the Loremasters' reaction to them, almost as much as he enjoyed Zelgadis' reactions to them.

 

She turned toward the other cottages across the green. "In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if I begin by passing this tale along to Kervan next. He did go to a great deal of trouble to acquire the previous book that Zelgadis-san destroyed!"

 

"Not at all," Xelloss said, "It's yours to do with as you like, High Priestess-sama!"

 

He would have asked why Kervan had such a particular interest in the story, but he was interrupted at that moment by a sudden shaft of perfectly familiar emotion from inside the cottage. Zelgadis was waking up, and Xelloss didn't want him to think he was out bashing the Claire-Bible-filled brains of some Loremasters, or some such mischief. More importantly, since it was still so early, there was plenty of time for a little early-morning pillow talk before they had to run off and meet the Mala. He excused himself with a bow before he left the High Priestess dancing in the dew and flitted back inside the cottage.

 

\----

 

Zelgadis woke up slowly. His first nearly coherent thought was relief that he didn't have to get up early to deal with any stuffy or curious Loremasters. Automatically, even before he tried to open his eyes, he made sure he could sense Xelloss nearby, as usual. Just as he did, the bed bounced as Xelloss plopped down and leaned across him with one arm on his hip.

 

Zel opened one eye and peered up at the trickster priest's grinning, too-wakeful face.

 

"W'time's'it?" he muttered. Judging by the gray light filling the room, he guessed it was either very early or very foggy.

 

"Still so sleepy!" Xelloss chided, sounding more delighted than surprised. "Well, I suppose we did stay up rather late last night, even after our relaxing bath!"

 

They'd been staying up late and waking up early most of the time lately, Zelgadis reflected, and usually for the same rather strenuous reason. He squirmed under Xelloss, trying to stretch and to wiggle out from under the blanket, and winced as his lower back reminded him of just how "strenuous" they'd been recently.

 

Next time, he vowed, he was actually going to _relax_ in that bath. He scowled up at Xelloss (as if it was all his fault, which was not entirely true). As eager as he was to meet the Mala and his library, he found himself wishing he could have a quiet breakfast alone before facing any people. Of course, even if there was time, that was not likely to happen with Xelloss already so awake and so cheerful.

 

Zelgadis managed to sit up even though Xelloss didn't budge when he moved. It occurred to him that part of the reason for Xelloss' extra happy mood was probably due to the fact that they were not going to pursue any more Claire Bible manuscripts at the moment. Or, he thought, as Xelloss scooted his butt up the bed and leaned closer to pin him back against the pillows, maybe there was some other reason for that gleam in the Mazoku's amethyst eyes.

 

"As a matter of fact," Xelloss continued, "it's still fairly early; we have plenty of time before we're expected at The Mala's place. Since we neglected our lessons last night, perhaps we should use the time for a little refresher?"

 

As he spoke, Zelgadis felt shadowy fingers brush against his astral body. As languid and weary as he was physically, his body still responded, his pulse quickening and his senses coming fully awake all at once. He couldn't completely hide the mixed desire and irritation that surged up inside him, but even if that reaction wasn't obvious to Xelloss, the way his astral form squirmed to press back into the light touch would have given him away. Xelloss grinned even more broadly.

 

"Since we can't practice your astral defensive spells here," Xelloss said, "I suppose this kind of lesson will just have to do for now..."

 

Zelgadis raised his hand between them; all that accomplished was to increase his awareness of the solid weight of Xelloss' body under his shirt. The finger-light touch on the astral side spread around him. It was echoed by the way Xelloss spread his hands around Zel's arms, gripping lightly, but the astral touch grew firmer and demanded more of his attention there.

 

"Do you think you can slip from my grasp?" Xelloss teased. "I'm barely touching you now. If you concentrate hard enough on that side, maybe you can push me away... _if_ I let you concentrate, that is!"

 

Zelgadis grunted in protest at the impromptu lesson, and tried to convince himself that he _wanted_ to push Xelloss away, on either side of his awareness. But of course, Xelloss made it a point to distract him on the physical side by lunging down to clamp his lips to Zel's throat, tongue and lips sucking hard on the rough skin over his pulse.

 

Zelgadis gasped, and did exactly the opposite of what he was supposed to be doing before he could stop himself, clinging to Xelloss' astral form instead of slipping out of its reach. Xelloss chuckled against his skin.

 

"Damn it, Mazoku," Zelgadis hissed. Belatedly, he tried to squirm out of the astral grasp instead, but his senses were too divided now, his concentration lost entirely in enticing sensations. It was too late, now, anyway; Xelloss had tightened his grip, and spread more of his spirit around Zel's smaller astral form. He was trapped.

 

He curled his fist in Xelloss' shirt and tried to push him off, although that was just as useless, especially when Xelloss raised his head to look down at him.

 

Zelgadis swallowed hard, trying to get emotions and spirit under control again, but it was hopeless with Xelloss' mouth descending, so close to his...

 

... only to brush lightly over his lips with a sigh and turn aside. Suddenly the Mazoku's grip on his arms relaxed, and his astral touch melted away.

 

"Ah well, I suppose the rest of the lesson can be kept for another time," Xelloss said.

 

" _What_?" Zelgadis squawked, almost loudly enough to wake any still-sleeping neighbors in the nearby cottages.

 

Xelloss sighed and gave him a rueful grin as he sat back and turned toward the doorway. Zelgadis blinked in frustrated confusion, until he realized that Xelloss must have sensed someone outside. Before he could refocus his own magical senses to tell who it was, his nose caught the beautiful aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

 

With his attention still half caught by the astral world, he watched as Xelloss rose up quickly and went out through the other room to open the cottage door.

 

"Good morning, Myona-san!" he said cheerfully. "Thank you for 'knocking' so politely, but it's quite all right, we're already up! Aren't we, Zel-san!"

 

Zelgadis pressed his palm to his forehead and gritted his teeth.

 

"We are _now_ ," he muttered. But then he caught the wonderful scent of coffee again, and his stomach growled almost loud enough to drown out Myona's soft voice outside the door.

 

"Good morning, Xelloss-dono. I know it's a little early, but I hope you and Zelgadis-sama won't mind. I brought breakfast for you, just in case you didn't want to wait until we get to The Mala's."

 

" _He's_ already had his breakfast," Zelgadis muttered with a scowl in Xelloss' direction, but he was out of bed and nearly dressed by the time Xelloss had ushered their hesitant guide into the cottage.

 

\----

 

It turned out that Myona had brought not only breakfast, but supplies for more meals at the cottage - coffee, hard rolls, some fruit, extra cups and bowls for them to use later.

 

"Marcus always gets takeout," he said by way of explanation, after they'd sampled enough of the offering to take the edge off Zelgadis' morning grumpiness. "They never cook or do dishes over there, so it probably didn't occur to him that you would, but I thought you might not mind..."

 

"You are brilliant," Zelgadis said, finally forgiving the boy for his untimely interruption earlier. He had been getting low on coffee and had dreaded the thought of having to go out among the residents of the temple first thing in the morning to get it. His enthusiastic gratitude brought a startled blush to Myona's cheeks, and that, in turn, brought an equally startled frown of - was that jealousy? - to Xelloss' face. Zelgadis chuckled.

 

"Let's be off, then," he said, throwing his cloak around his shoulders.

 

"By all means," Xelloss agreed, immediately cheerful again. "We certainly don't want to keep The Mala waiting on us, do we!"

 

They let Myona lead them on a tiny path that crossed the slope behind and above the village, a shortcut back to the road they'd arrived on two days ago. When they left the Temple grounds, Zelgadis felt the unusual aura fade as if they'd crossed an invisible barrier, and Xelloss turned his head as if he suddenly missed a familiar scent.

 

The path edged along the steep hillside behind the village. They looked down into narrow kitchen gardens, mostly harvested and turned for winter, or small back yards where fishing nets were strung on poles to be mended, or racks of fish laid out over fragrant wood fires. Everywhere near the village, the fragrant smoke of hickory and alder wood drifted to them on the gusty wind. The storm they'd seen approaching the night before was still lying in wait out at sea, a line of black clouds strung across the horizon. Overhead, a high haze filtered the sunlight, leeching the color out of the landscape.

 

Myona led them through a narrow, low gap in the hedge behind the last village house, and they found themselves back on the road they'd followed two days ago. Before long, they saw the roofs and turrets of the mansion. A thin trail of smoke rose from one of the chimneys now, tattered by the wind like a war banner.

 

"What else can you tell us about the Mala, Myona?" Zelgadis asked as they walked. "Is he really likely to let a stranger into his library of rare, magical manuscripts?"

 

"That does seem very generous of him," Xelloss said thoughtfully. "Most sorcerers prefer to guard that kind of collection - presuming the books are authentic."

 

Myona glanced back over his shoulder. His brow furrowed for a moment as he seemed to think about it, then he shrugged.

 

"Well, there's nothing much to say about Melly, really. He's just, you know, Melly..." his voice trailed off, as if he couldn't think of any other way to describe the Mala. "I'm pretty sure he'll let anyone use the library, if he likes them; I mean, he lets Shuno use it all the time, and he's pretty annoying. Oh, but..." he gnawed on his lower lip briefly before he went on. "I forgot, he didn't want to let that nice Professor from the Guild in, for some reason. I don't know why, she was...really... nice.... "

 

He trailed off again. Curious about what had distracted him this time, Zelgadis was surprised to see a blush flooding Myona's cheeks before the boy ducked his head and turned away.

 

He glanced over at Xelloss, whose grin seemed to confirm what he thought he'd seen. He wondered if Professor Herringull knew she'd been the object of a young man's crush. Probably not; if he wasn't an object of study, Zelgadis guessed she wouldn't have noticed him at all.

 

He scowled when he thought about Melly's reluctance to let her use his library. It wasn't surprising that the Mala had not liked Professor Herringull, who was a meticulous scholar and well known as a skeptic about Skye, but that didn't reveal whether Melianthus would welcome a more open-minded researcher into his library or not.

 

After a second, Myona gave his tousled head a shake and brought his thoughts back to the question.

 

"Kervan-san used to go there a lot when he first came here, even though Melly didn't want to let him in at first. I remember Sis saying Kervan could probably finagle his way into any place. I don't think anyone else has ever asked, though; not since I can remember."

 

"Kervan-san studies ancient magic as well?" Xelloss murmured. "How interesting."

 

"I don't know what he studies," Myona shrugged. "As far as I can tell, he just likes to read everything he can find."

 

"Well, at any rate," Xelloss said cheerfully, "it sounds like we want to make a good first impression on Melly-san, if that's what it takes to get into his library!"

 

Zelgadis had to agree, and could only wonder how difficult it might be to do that. Under the circumstances, blasting his way into the library or sneaking in (both methods he'd used without a qualm in the past) did not seem like the best tactics. He glared suspiciously at Xelloss, knowing that the trickster was just as likely to make a bad first impression merely for the sake of getting on his nerves - assuming he didn't have any other reason to keep him away from the information in the Mala's library. 

 

There was no reason to think he did; Xelloss didn't seem to have known of the library's existence before they arrived. Zelgadis decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least on that point.

 

"If we're going to make a good impression, you might not want to call him Melly-san when we get there," he pointed out to Xelloss.

 

"Oh, I don't know if he even cares what anyone calls him," Myona said, with another shrug of one thin shoulder. "I don't think he really likes being called The Mala, anyway; he always waves it off when anyone calls him that in person, except maybe my sister. Like it embarrasses him to be reminded that he's supposed to be someone important, or something."

 

"My, my, such humility," Xelloss said, grinning.

 

They were walking along the high edge of the northern point now, with a view of the bay and the hooked cliff to the south, and the open sea beyond. Myona's steps slowed a little as his eyes were drawn toward the great, black stones of the ruins. Xelloss turned his head to stare at it for a moment as well.

 

"We haven't heard your tales of those ruins yet, and your other stories, Myona-san," Xelloss said, turning back to their guide.

 

Myona's dark eyes got rounder and darker, although Zelgadis was certain he came close to breaking out in a full-fledged smile. But he ducked his head and turned toward the path ahead a second later, bashful again, Zelgadis thought - or secretive, perhaps? He couldn't be sure. Considering how well the boy seemed to be able to control his emotions, he wasn't sure Xelloss would have been able to tell which it was, either.

 

"You should probably hear Melly's story about the ruins, too," Myona said. "Unless you know that tale already?"

 

"Only the rumor that he might actually be descended from the Sorcerers of Skye who might have landed here," Zelgadis said. He frowned, keeping one eye on Xelloss for his reaction. "Although I don't suppose he has any actual evidence to prove it, does he?" he mused.

 

After all, he thought, if the Asmalath family had any proof of their claim, the Mala should have welcomed Professor Herringull's investigation. Whatever else he thought of her research, he felt fairly certain that she was ethical enough to report such evidence in her findings.

 

Myona tipped his head with an odd look in his dark eyes and the hint of a smile on his lips.

 

"The proof of a tale is all in the telling," he said. "Or so the Loremasters say!"

 

Typically cryptic of the Loremasters, Zelgadis thought, with a huff of impatience. Xelloss veiled a smile behind his hand.

 

\----

 

It became even more blustery as they followed the smaller path that lead out onto the point toward the mansion. They walked through a stunted forest of pines and cedars, all bent toward the mountains by the nearly constant sea wind. When the path turned to the right and came out of the trees, even Zelgadis felt the force of a gust that hit them as if it was trying to push them back toward the village. Their cloaks whipped around their legs, flapping like sails. Myona walked hunched over, his dark hair blown back from his face, but he looked up into the wind, almost smiling as if welcoming its rough touch.

 

Xelloss stared ahead, as placidly unconcerned as ever, even with his hair darting like whip ends around his face. Zelgadis followed his gaze to the mansion that was now sprawled out directly in front of them. It was long and rambling, just as the glimpse of its roofs had suggested, built of weathered gray stone the color of the sea on a cloudy day. Rows of high, narrow windows faced the sea, their multiple panes of glass glinting in the dull late morning light.

 

Zelgadis was surprised to find an elaborate garden spreading out around the seaward side of the mansion. The path now passed between carefully tended beds of flowers, many of them still in bloom with bright red and gold flower heads fluttering in the gusty wind. They made a surprising splash of color out here on the rugged edge of the land.

 

The wind dropped suddenly as they approached the main entrance of the mansion, giving Zelgadis the odd feeling that it was relenting to let them near the place after all. He gazed ahead at the building, wondering which of the many rambling wings of it held the library. He also wondered for the first time if anyone else lived here beside Melianthus, and whether they would meet any other members of the Asmalath family.

 

He heard a murmur of surprise from Xelloss, and ahead of them, Myona suddenly slowed down. Glancing up the path, Zelgadis was surprised to see a familiar face approaching them. It was the bat-winged serving girl, but without her usual layers of dark makeup, and wearing the simple gray gown and white apron of a housemaid. She approached demurely with her hands clasped in front of her, but even in such a domestic disguise, her lip still curled when she saw Myona, as if, Zelgadis thought, she wanted to lick her fangs at the sight of him. But a second later she caught herself, and after a brief glance to acknowledge himself and Xelloss, she lowered her eyes and curtseyed toward them politely.

 

"Master Melianthus is taking his morning tea in the garden, if it would please his honored guests to join him," she said.

 

"Thank you, we'd like that very much," Zelgadis said, just managing to sound equally polite.

 

"This way then, please," she said, and turned to lead the way without raising her eyes again.

 

Myona gave a barely audible sigh.

 

"I forgot Dulcinea works here sometimes too," Zelgadis heard him mutter in a deflated-sounding whisper. "Figures she'd be here this morning."

 

He followed her down the path, and Zelgadis and Xelloss fell into step behind him.

 

"It must take quite a large staff to keep up a place like this," Xelloss remarked. "Does Melianthus-sama do the gardening himself, I wonder? It's quite the splendid setting."

 

"The Master has a cook and a manservant, and a few of us from the village come out to keep house for him, day to day," Dulcinea said. She turned her head to toss her next words back over her shoulder as she walked. "A woman from the Temple does the gardens. It's tradition, I've heard."

 

It was quite an impressive garden, Zelgadis noted. At the Temple, the gardens rambled up the hillside like a half-tamed wilderness among the many boardwalks and buildings, as if to reflect the chaotic nature of the Golden Lord, but they were as much functional with vegetables and herbs as they were decorative. In contrast, the Asmalath gardens were formal and impeccably neat, and almost entirely ornamental. Even the occasional magical herb fit into the pattern, but unlike some sorcerer's gardens, there was no magical meaning to the design, as far as he could see.

 

Dulcinea slowed to a stop, stood aside and curtseyed again as the path curved around a small yew tree in an urn at the end of a low stone wall. Myona nervously ducked past her, then halted as well. They were in the heart of the garden now, Zelgadis discovered as he came up beside their guide; white paving stones brought several paths onto a circular terrace with a small pool at the center. Near the pool, there was a table laid out ready for breakfast with a white cloth, gleaming white china and silverware.

 

The terrace was somewhat sheltered from the wind by clipped cedars and a low stone wall, so there were only fitful gusts to bob the white and purple mums planted around the pool. Golden plumes of dry sea grass waved like tresses of a maiden's hair caught on the breeze.

 

Amidst all that, it was a few seconds before Zelgadis noticed a woman standing with her back to them on the other side of the terrace. She was working over a table full of pots and spades and other gardening tools, and as he watched, she plunked some cut flowers in a vase. The hair that fell down her back was a paler shade of the gray sea grasses, almost colorless, and longer than Gourry's. She was nearly as tall as he was, but more slight of build; the cut of her cream-colored robes accented narrow shoulders, slim hips and long legs. She hardly seemed sturdy enough to be a gardener, in fact Zelgadis thought she looked like a full gust of the sea wind might blow her right off the point.

 

He glanced around at the table all set for breakfast, but there was no one else in the terrace. Myona hesitated, fidgeting nervously. Dulcinea curtsied to all of them, and then turned and walked away.

 

Xelloss peered around the terrace curiously, ignoring the gardener.

 

"Oh, dear," he murmured, "I do hope we're not unfashionably early!"

 

The woman seemed to notice them then; she turned around to face them, a swirl of white and lavender robes with her hair flashing like a spiral of sea spray as she turned. As her face came into view, Zelgadis suddenly realized that she was neither a gardener nor a woman.

 

They all stood there staring at each other across the pool, and absolutely nothing happened for several seconds except for the flowers bobbing in the breeze. Myona made a little squeaking sound in his throat. Zelgadis wasn't sure if he was choking from nerves or trying not to laugh at all of them.

 

"Myona-kun," the person in the white robes said, "how nice to see you! Please do me the honor of introducing me to your friends?"

 

Myona really did choke then. He ducked his head and spoke in a voice so quick and whispery that even Zelgadis could barely catch the words.

 

"Sir, may I please present to you Xelloss of the Mazoku and Zelgadis Greywords who are our honored guests at the Temple; Xelloss-dono, Zelgadis-sama, please allow me to introduce to you Melianthus Asmalath, The Mala."

 

"Ah!" Xelloss said.

 

Zelgadis hoped his surprise wasn't too obvious. He bowed, stiffly, calling up rarely used manners.

 

"It is our honor to meet you, Mala-sama," Zelgadis said.

 

After a second, Xelloss drew his staff across his chest and bowed too, very formally - formal enough to be an outright mockery of politeness, Zelgadis thought, but the Mala didn't seem to notice. He waved a pale hand at them as he came around the pool, pausing to deposit the lopsided flower arrangement on the table along the way.

 

"Oh please, none of that stuffy 'Mala' business! Melianthus will do!" he said, just as Myona had predicted. "And anyway, the honor is most certainly mine!"

 

He rushed toward them in a sweep of trailing sleeves and long hair, his arms spread open. For a moment, Zelgadis thought with horror that he was going to embrace the both of them, but he merely grasped one of each of their hands in his and beamed at them.

 

"My, my!" he exclaimed, stepping back to look at them. "I'm so excited to meet such famous adventurers! But I must say, the tales don't do you justice at all! Please come and join me at the table. Dulcinea will be back with the tea in a moment."

 

He led the way to the table. Along the way he dropped Xelloss' hand, but he kept hold of Zelgadis by the arm until he'd pulled out a chair and deposited him in it. He took the chair next to Zel for himself, and gestured Xelloss over to sit across the table from him. Zelgadis hid his discomfort under a polite smile. Xelloss circled the table to sit in the indicated spot, keeping his hidden gaze on Melianthus the entire time.

 

\----

 

By the time they were all settled together with the tea and scones Dulcinea served them, Zelgadis had decided that, aside from the fantastically long hair and delicate figure, Melianthus Asmalath was simply the most ordinary looking person he had ever seen. A few minutes after meeting him, he could not have given a description of the Mala; he could not have told anyone the color of his eyes or the shape of his face. Melianthus' voice wasn't particularly impressive either; it was not quite monotonous enough to be irritating, but it had no noticeable expression, either. Even with his rather feminine features, he was simply too plain to be called pretty. His welcoming smile seemed to be nothing more than a show of perfect, white teeth.

 

At any rate, he was certainly not alarming. Even Myona relaxed, only stammering with nerves if he was called upon to speak or to do anything noticeable. In fact, Zelgadis caught their guide rolling his eyes once when Melianthus was speaking. Even he did not take The Mala very seriously, after all.

 

Zelgadis had to force himself to pay attention to whatever Melianthus was saying; it was far easier to let the words flutter past his ears unnoticed. He found himself watching Xelloss instead, his attention snagged by the purple highlights in his dark hair, the way a few strands blew around his face, and the way he absently tucked those stray locks of hair back behind his ear.

 

Caught up in these details, he finally noticed that Xelloss was leaning toward the Mala with an intense, fascinated expression, so intent that Zel could see the gleam of his half-open eyes under his bangs. He tried to see what was so interesting to the mazoku, but failed. In fact, he found it just a little irritating that Xelloss appeared to be so fascinated by someone he already found too boring to listen to.

 

There was not the slightest hint of a magical aura from the man. Aside from the rich robes and the delicate figure, there was absolutely nothing to distinguish this man as a member of an ancient and powerful magical family. If Zelgadis had passed Melianthus Asmalath in the street, he would not have spared him a single glance.

 

He sat back, suppressing a sigh of familiar disappointment, and caught Myona watching him with his lips sucked in between his teeth and his eyebrows twitching. It looked suspiciously like the boy was trying not to laugh.

 

Xelloss' voice finally brought him back to the conversation.

 

"Why yes, Melianthus-sama," Xelloss was saying enthusiastically, "in fact, I'm sure Zelgadis-san would love to hear the story of your honored ancestor's arrival here, or perhaps read an account of it. Assuming there is a written account, that is?"

 

Zelgadis suddenly realized why Myona was amused. He was so benumbed by the Mala's utter lack of personality that he'd forgotten why they came here in the first place.

 

"Yes indeed, I would like very much to hear about your family's great history," he said quickly.

 

He forced himself to focus on Melianthus and look him in the eyes, although it was rather like trying to find life in a cloud. Grey eyes stared back at him, blinking slowly, as if he didn't quite comprehend Zel's words. Zelgadis thought he might have jumped into the conversation too abruptly; maybe his comment didn't make sense after what Xelloss had just said, after all. He also worried briefly that he might have offended Melianthus; the magic-less Mala might be sensitive to mentions of his illustrious family. But after a moment Melianthus smiled, although to Zel it seemed that his eyes were still blank.

 

"Oh, yes," he said breezily. "There are some written accounts, in fact there are several translations from the old diaries of the first Asmalaths to arrive on this continent. I'm not very good at story-telling myself. Oh, I know, such a scandalous thing to admit in this town!" he added dramatically, with a wink at Myona. "Well, we can't all be loremasters, can we? But if you're interested, Zelgadis-san, perhaps you'd like to visit my library?"

 

He leaned toward Zelgadis, smiling more broadly, almost with actual emotion. He waved his hand in the direction of the mansion, and then let it fall onto Zelgadis' knee.

 

"Please allow me to show you around my humble home," Melianthus said, blandly gracious. "I rarely have any visitors at all, so I'm a little rusty at playing host, but I would be delighted if you would be my guests for the afternoon! And of course, I'll be glad to show you to the library as well. Please do say you'll stay, Zelgadis-san!"

 

Zelgadis blinked in surprise. His first instinct was to recoil from the attention, but even the Mala's fiercest interest was barely enough to arouse his self-consciousness. The lure of the library was much stronger. He'd expected to have to cajole his way inside, somehow; he never thought it would be this easy!

 

He was about to reply when he caught a glimpse of Xelloss past Melianthus' shoulder.

 

He hadn't seen such a thunderous scowl on the mazoku's face since they'd left Mystport. It wasn't the expression of cold rage or gleeful violence that the Soldiers of Shimer had inspired, though; it was the soul-burning glare that Xelloss had trained on Professor Herringull when her back was turned, when she'd been fawning over him as if she wanted to keep this fascinating chimera specimen for her very own.

 

Zelgadis glanced down at the Mala's hand that lingered on his knee, and then back up at the bland face grinning into his. He smiled back, and - to his own surprise - dropped his hand onto Melly's.

 

"Why, certainly, Melianthus-sama," he said warmly. "Thank you, I'd like that very much!"

 

He heard Myona choke and cough into his hand. He didn't quite dare look at Xelloss.

 

\----

 

_to be continued! How far will Zelgadis go to get his hands on the contents of the Mala's library? And how far will Xelloss let him go? ~_^_

 

 

 


	16. The Library of the Asmalaths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Melly is boring, Shuno is a dork, and Xelloss almost gets to destroy a Follower of Shimer, only - not quite.

 

The only thing that kept Zelgadis awake during Melianthus' tour of the mansion was the prickly sense of Xelloss' eyes following every move.

 

The ancestral home of the Asmalaths was even more of a rambling maze of rooms than it appeared from the outside. Zelgadis tried very hard to listen to Melly's description of the building and all its former inhabitants and illustrious visitors, but the rambling tour-guide monologue was about as interesting as a grocery list. Even though the words hardly made any impression on Zelgadis' mind, he was intently aware of Melly's hand upon him nearly every moment as they wandered through the place: a touch on his elbow to guide him around a corner; fingertips on his shoulder as Melianthus described some point of family history; a hand lightly pressed against the small of his back as they walked down a dim corridor.

 

But it was not actually Melly's hand that he felt; the moth-flutter touches were far too light for him to even notice them on his stone skin. It was the force of Xelloss' hooded gaze on each and every spot where Melianthus touched him that he felt as intensely as the heat of a Flare Arrow. Xelloss said nothing as the tour continued, however, except to murmur with mild interest at a few of Melly's comments. He followed along half a pace behind them through the dim and dusty corridors, as placid and mild-mannered as the human priest he pretended to be.

 

Zelgadis couldn't decipher Xelloss' mood; he thought he sensed a flicker of the mazoku's dark energy in his focused gaze, but it seemed to be tightly controlled, barely noticeable on the edge of his astral senses. He was grateful and a little surprised that Xelloss had not, so far, said or done anything embarrassing enough to get them unceremoniously kicked out of the Mala's family home. Melianthus seemed so unexcitable that he wasn't sure what it would take to fluster him, anyway, but he didn't intend to give Xelloss enough of an excuse to find out. 

 

Of course, there was also the possibility that Xelloss was merely waiting his chance to destroy the entire library when they got to it. Zelgadis found himself hoping that there was not the slightest hint of a Claire Bible manuscript among the Mala's treasures. He was fairly certain that Xelloss did not have orders to merely destroy any magical lore he came across. If he was concerned about anything else that might be hidden away within the Asmalath's household, Zelgadis couldn't imagine what it could be.

 

Surely, he thought, Xelloss didn't think he needed protecting from this colorless young lord of the manor! He was probably only irritated that Zelgadis' attention was distracted away from him once again, unless, perhaps, the mazoku's glare meant that he'd sensed some actual emotion behind all those fluttery little touches. Zelgadis didn't really care if he did, even if it meant Melianthus' apparent infatuation with him was real - as bizarre as it was to think that anyone besides a mazoku found his horrid appearance attractive. 

 

Zelgadis assumed that Xelloss could tell he had no real interest in Melianthus at all, no matter what he did to make it look like there was nothing more fascinating in the world. Fortunately, Melly didn't seem to notice that they weren't exactly hanging on his every word. He had no qualms about letting Melly think the attraction was mutual if it led him to the library of the Asmalaths. On the other hand, he had a feeling that letting Xelloss think so might be downright dangerous. 

 

Myona trailed along behind them like one of the shadows, gazing around at everything with his huge, dark eyes, and quite obviously ignoring every word that Melly said. Occasionally, Zelgadis caught a fleeting glimpse of Dulcinea or another servant flitting past an open doorway or around a corner. They seemed to take no notice of Melly or his guests, and he certainly paid no attention to them.

 

Layers of drapery covered many of the windows in the rooms that had them, and many inner rooms had no windows at all, so the flickering candelabra Melianthus carried was the only light. Zelgadis considered casting Lighting, but decided against it; after all, he didn't want to show up his host in magical ability. He soon began to hope that each new corridor would finally lead to the library, but they didn't seem to be getting any closer to it. He wasn't sure if Melianthus was purposefully saving that goal for the last, or if he simply wandered around his vast, lonely mansion as aimlessly as it appeared. In fact, it sometimes seemed as if Melly himself had forgotten the way around his own home. Several times, he wandered into a room and gazed around for a moment at the contents, looking vaguely baffled by what he'd found.

 

"Ah yes, I remember this!" he would exclaim softly after a moment, or "Oh my, is that where these ended up?" Then he simply left the things as they were and walked away without any explanation.

 

In what was apparently the mansion's music room, Zelgadis finally paused, letting Melly drift away ahead of him for a moment. Various instruments and pieces of sheet music were scattered across chairs and music stands, as if the players had left them there and rushed off to do something else. Melianthus had hardly shrugged at the disarray in the room, then turned away with his finger to his chin as he peered along the corridor, searching for the next room to take them to. Zelgadis brushed his fingertips along the strings of a guitar that had been left propped against the wall next to the door, wondering who might have played it, and how long ago it had last made music. 

 

They rambled through a gymnasium where fencing equipment and other sporting implements lay scattered around on the floor as if they had been dropped in the middle of a match, then into a sewing room where a dozen shadowy forms stood or leaned against each other, half-dressed in mismatched styles of clothing. It seemed as if everything had been discarded in the middle of a flurry of activity and never picked up again. Zelgadis wondered if the servants were not allowed to clean up the mess for some reason, or if they simply didn't bother since Melianthus hardly seemed to notice. 

 

Melly ushered Zelgadis into another of these rooms, where he stood gazing thoughtfully at a canvas half covered with daubs of paint. After a moment of staring at it, Zelgadis recognized it as a still life, although it was as lop-sided as the flower arrangement Melly had left on their breakfast table. Several other half-shrouded canvases stood around on stands, some with no more than a few vague strokes. Paint had been left drying on palettes next to them, stiff brushes scattered around on the worktables. 

 

Melianthus turned to him and lifted his hand to touch the stiff strands of Zel's hair. Startled, Zelgadis turned to see his pale eyes gazing up, watching the play of light on the wire strands. 

 

"Oh, my, yes," Melianthus mused, tipping his head. "I should really take up painting again, you know. All of these lovely textures and colors... Zelgadis-san, you must sit for me and let me paint you!"

 

Zelgadis stared back at the Mala's dazed-looking face. The gray-eyed gaze wandered over his hair and down over his shoulders, and Melly's fingertips followed the same trail. He opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn't make a sound. He was startled enough to find out that Melianthus was an artist (or thought he was), but even more horrified at the thought of simply sitting and being _looked_ at so intently for hours, even by Melly's weightless gaze. 

 

"Ah, er," he mumbled. 

 

Melly's brow twitched, a little crease of distress appearing in his nearly expressionless face. Zelgadis steeled himself to face whatever ordeal it might take to keep Melianthus happy and stay in his good graces. With an effort he hoped was not obvious even to the oblivious Mala, he started to force a smile. 

 

"I... " he began. 

 

A crash and clatter from across the room interrupted him. Melly drew back a little and turned toward the noise. 

 

"Oh, my, how clumsy of me!" Xelloss said, hand raised to his mouth. He stood a few feet away, in front of another half-covered canvas. An earthenware vase and a bunch of dead, dry flowers lay shattered on the floor in front of him, knocked from the table at his elbow. "Please forgive me, Melianthus-sama! I was so overwhelmed by all the beauty in this room that I lost control of myself for a moment!"

 

"Ah, it's nothing, please don't trouble yourself about it, Xelloss-san," Melianthus said, graciously unconcerned. He waved his hand in the air as he turned away from Zelgadis to gaze instead at the painting in front of Xelloss.

 

Zelgadis thought Xelloss was laying it on a bit thick even for him; at least, he couldn't imagine that even a mazoku would find these paintings "beautiful." The picture Xelloss happened to be standing in front of was partly covered, but what could be seen of it did not look promising. Ignoring the mess on the floor, Melianthus went over and lifted the cloth to reveal the rest of the canvas. 

 

"Oh, yes, that was one of my earliest efforts, but it did come out rather well, didn't it?" Melly said. 

 

The canvas was covered in a swirl of grays and browns, vaguely shaped like a female figure, Zelgadis thought - or perhaps it was meant to be waves on the sea. Or clouds. It might even have been a tree, if he tipped his head to look at it from another angle. Or, just possibly, it was supposed to recreate the dead flowers in the vase that now lay in shards at Xelloss' feet.

 

He decided it was probably safer not to guess, and just made a general sound of approval. 

 

Melly regarded the picture silently for a moment, tipping his head from side to side and humming thoughtfully. Xelloss beamed at him, his eyes hidden by his too-innocent smile. Zelgadis couldn't decide whether to be irritated or relieved by his interruption. 

 

After a minute, Melly sighed, flicked the cloth back over the canvas, and turned away from it with a shrug. With another light touch on Zel's arm, he drew him toward the door, leaving Xelloss and the half-finished paintings behind without another word. 

\---

 

In the wide corridor outside the art room, Melianthus paused with his hand on Zelgadis' shoulder, and directed his attention toward the wall.

 

Zelgadis felt Xelloss move close to him on the opposite side, near enough that his cloak brushed Zel's arm. A current of muted energy seemed to run through him from the touch, and with a rush of heat, he suddenly thought of what he might have to do later to make up for being so distracted all day. He didn't know how much longer he could pretend to be interested in Melianthus with Xelloss standing this close. But, just as he thought this, he felt the first flicker of genuine interest in something that Melianthus was showing him. His attention was drawn away from Xelloss by the faces staring down at them from the pair of portraits on the wall.

 

In the painting on the right, a middle-aged woman with narrow, aristocratic features and hair as pale as Melly's sat with her hands folded in her lap. Her dress was of the same colors and pattern as the robes Melianthus wore. Her pleasant, vacant smile seemed to look right past them, and large, gray eyes reflected the light with an empty gleam, like the moon far off in a misty sky.

 

Beside her in the other painting, a dark-haired man smiled down at them from the gilt frame. His expression was kindly but surprised, as if he didn't quite know how he'd gotten himself into this position but he meant to make the best of it. He looked nothing like Melly at all; there was far too much warmth even in his painted, one-dimensional face.

 

"Danius and Inclementha, my dear father and mother," Melianthus said, a whisper of a sigh in his voice as he bowed toward the portraits. "I'm sorry you couldn't have met them; I'm sure they would have enjoyed meeting you."

 

"I'm sorry, as well," Zelgadis said, suddenly feeling awkward. He had never thought to wonder if Melly's parents were still alive. He realized no one else had mentioned them. From the way Melly spoke, he guessed they'd been gone for some time.

 

"Mother was such a gentle woman," Melly continued, tipping his head as he regarded her with a fond smile. "She died when I was quite young. She loved to travel, but the carriage roads over the mountains are treacherous in the winter months. Unfortunately, my father was not with her at the time, or she might have been saved."

 

He sighed again, but when Zelgadis glanced aside at him, his eyes were as blank as ever.

 

"Father was actually the greater sorcerer, even though Mother carried the family line through her mother," Melianthus continued. "He was as fine a healer as this village has seen; he was a teacher at the Temple when he met my mother. He saved many lives, even at the risk of his own. Unfortunately he could not save himself. He died while he was trying to heal others in the midst of a terrible epidemic, almost ten years ago now. Grandmother Lamiantha always said that he was a proud addition to the family's legacy, even though he was not of the Asmalaths. Sadly, she outlived them both."

 

"I remember your grandmother," Myona said softly. Startled to hear him speak, Zelgadis and Xelloss both turned to him. He looked as surprised as they were. His hand flew up to cover his mouth, but he continued, murmuring as he gazed up at the portrait of Inclementha. "She was pretty.... she came to the Temple after my father died, and my grandmother took me to visit her once..."

 

"Ah yes," Melly said, still gazing up at the portraits. "I think they used to be friends, the High Priestess and the Mala of their day. They both lived a very long time, and when they both passed on a few years ago, an era passed away with them."

 

Myona bit his lower lip and said nothing more. Melly turned away from the portraits. With his hand once again on Zelgadis' arm, he gestured toward a set of double doors at the far end of the corridor.

 

"And this is the library," he said.

 

\---

 

 

Zelgadis' first step into the library of the Asmalaths brought Xelloss out of a sort of daze he'd been in since entering the mansion. The chimera's reaction was stronger than anything he'd felt from him since Myona had arrived with his coffee that morning, and for a moment, Xelloss just stood there in the doorway behind him, savoring it. Zelgadis took a step forward as if entranced, all else around him forgotten, including - Xelloss could not help noticing - Melianthus. He had finally stepped out of reach of the Mala's ever-lingering touch. 

 

Xelloss had hardly even needed to watch Melly's hand on Zel's shoulder, on his arm, always on his chimera somewhere as he lead them through the mansion. It was as if he could feel it, even though he suspected Zelgadis hardly felt it himself, and even though he could feel absolutely nothing else from Melianthus at all. 

 

He had rarely met a human who was as empty of emotional energy as the Mala. At first he thought Melianthus' emotions must be shielded, or skillfully subdued as a few sorcerers or someone like Myona were sometimes able to do. But after a few minutes in the Mala's presence, he was certain that the man simply felt almost nothing. To a mazoku's senses, he was nearly invisible. That alone had been interesting enough to keep his attention for a few minutes after they first met, but really, he was simply too boring to study for long, so Xelloss had quickly brought the conversation - such as it was - around to the reason for their visit, the records of the Skye sorcerers that might exist in the Mala's library. 

 

He had immediately regretted it. Even if Melly had almost no feelings, obviously he had the capacity to be interested in something, or in someone; specifically, he seemed fascinated by the stone-skinned sorcerer-swordsman, or at least, as fascinated as such a spiritless person could be. 

 

Xelloss had been shocked when Zelgadis didn't shy away from the Mala's touch, when he didn't so much as blush under Melly's doe-eyed gaze. He'd been even more startled by his own reaction. Too startled to move, almost, when his chimera had practically taken Melly's hand and let himself be led around the entire mansion. Caught between a strange desire to act and a distinct lack of any justification for doing anything, all he could do was follow them, baffled by a screaming sense of the need to protect Zelgadis even though there was clearly nothing to protect him from here. The Mala was so harmless as to be barely noticeable, and there was no sign or sense of any other sorcery within the Asmalath's mansion. It was hard to imagine that there ever had been.

 

Expecting Zelgadis to shrink away from the attention at every turn, it should have been a relief to finally feel the flutter of dread from him at the prospect of having his portrait painted back in the art room. Xelloss had no idea why he'd felt the need to act at that moment instead of savoring it. There was really no reason for him to want to get Melly's attention off of Zelgadis - or Zelgadis' off of Melly, for that matter. 

 

He was, inexplicably, even more thoroughly relieved by Zelgadis' reaction to the library, even though the emotions he sensed could hardly be called negative. He watched Zelgadis' eyes widen, glittering like blue crystals, as he gazed up and around at the book-lined walls. The chimera's surge of anticipation entirely drowned out Melly's presence, making the Mala even easier to ignore than he was naturally. 

 

Of course, this fascination with a room full of books meant that Zelgadis was also ignoring _him_ , just as he had been since arriving back in Mystport, but, Xelloss decided, as distractions went, this was definitely an improvement. In fact, the chimera's excitement now was almost as arousing as the usual dark emotions that he enjoyed so much. He thought he might just have to indulge Zelgadis in this library-lust a little more often.

 

It was easy to see why Zelgadis was so excited. The Asmalath family's library was larger than Xelloss had expected, certainly larger than any other room in the mansion. The walls were lined with shelves thoroughly jammed with books, scrolls, and chests of unbound papers. Rows of book stacks stretched to the far end of the room, also full to overflowing. Stairways at either side climbed to a mezzanine level that ringed the room with even more shelves, all full of bound volumes and loosely bundled manuscripts, stretching up into the shadows near the ceiling high above. 

 

Rectangles of light from high, narrow windows fell across three tables in the middle of the room. Most of these were strewn with a mess of papers, piles of books and writing implements, but unlike the abandoned jumble of objects in other rooms, these appeared to be in use. Zelgadis started out of his ecstatic reverie at the sound of papers shuffling, and blinked, frowning, as someone appeared from behind a stack of books at the far end of one of the tables. 

~~~

 

"Ah, Shuno-kun is here," Melly said. "You've all met already, of course."

 

"Yes," Zelgadis muttered. "Briefly."

 

Xelloss grinned at the little pang of irritation that came from Zelgadis when the pale scholar came around the tables toward them. That was a nice, familiar improvement, too.

 

"No doubt he'll be glad of another opportunity to discuss your 'hardness factor,' Zel-san," he said cheerfully, and grinned even wider when Zel's cheeks turned bright red as the words sank in. 

 

But this time, Shuno looked past Zelgadis as if he wasn't even there. Instead, he came directly over to stop in front of Xelloss, ignoring Melianthus as well. Puzzled by this, Xelloss was about to greet him when Shuno suddenly held his arm straight out in front of him, leveling his fist toward Xelloss' face. 

 

Xelloss stared at Shuno's clenched hand hovering a few inches in front of his eyes, wondering if there was something in particular he was meant to notice about it. It looked like a perfectly ordinary fist, as far as he could see, aside from being as pale as parchment. At the far end of the arm it was attached to, Shuno frowned, his eyebrows twisting like question marks. 

 

Shuno turned his hand over, and only as he drew it back did Xelloss notice the wide leather band binding a large, clear, polished crystal to his wrist. A speck of darkness floated in the jewel's depth as Shuno held it up before his eyes. 

 

Xelloss heard Zelgadis draw a sharp breath and felt rage crackle around him, even before his own sense of fury and alarm flared up. He had half forgotten that Zelgadis had seen one of the mazoku-detecting jewels of Shimer in the Great Hall of the shrine; clearly he recognized it now. The chimera's hand went to his sword, but Xelloss stepped in front of him, quickly drawing power from the astral plane into his physical form. He was as elated by the anticipation of using it on something as Zelgadis was about finding the library - even if that something was not the Mala. 

 

But unlike the jewel Zuller had worn in the shrine, this one remained clear; the tell-tale swirl of blackness did not spread through the crystal on Shuno's arm. The small black speck had already dissipated. Shuno shook his wrist, scowled at the clear stone, then looked up and squinted at Xelloss. 

 

"Are you _sure_ you're really a Mazoku?" he said. He gave Xelloss a quick look up and down, gave the jewel another shake, and shrugged. "Huh. Apparently not." 

 

He turned away, dismissing Xelloss entirely, and turned his studious gaze on Zelgadis again after all. 

 

"I wonder what the percentage of increase in capacity would be? I don't suppose it's proportional; that would have been difficult to regulate during the chimerical process, although it's theoretically possible..." he muttered away analytically, just as if the chimera in question was not actually standing there glaring at him, sword in hand.

 

Xelloss heard a choking sound from Zelgadis, and the soft slap of Myona's palm hitting his own face. But inside himself, something seemed to snap. 

 

"Not..." he echoed, shocked beyond thought. "Not a mazoku...."

 

The instinctive desire to destroy _something_ surged within him. It didn't even matter any more if there was a threat to justify it, or if it matched his orders to do so. He only knew he had to annihilate this annoying speck of a human before him. If nothing else, he thought, it would certainly prove that he existed. 

 

Black energy flared around the edges of his human form, gathered by the force of his will and ready to strike. Solid reality seemed to dissolve. His senses converged on the glorious darkness of spirit, and bore down on the feeble spark of human life fluttering in front of him... 

 

"Xelloss! _No!_ " 

 

Zelgadis' voice cut through the ecstatic rage that enveloped him. Rough, stone-strong arms pulled on his physical body, yanking him back to full awareness. 

 

Zelgadis anchored him in place, with his arms clamped around him from the side and a tendril of his spirit reaching around his to try to hold him back on the astral side as well. He felt the chimera's breath on his face, the weight of his body holding him back from Shuno. The lovely, dark swirl of the Zelgadis' emotions grabbed his senses. 

 

" _Not now!_ " Zel's voice rasped in his ear, a harsh whisper. "Not for this!" 

 

Xelloss went still, just puzzled enough to listen. Why would Zelgadis care to stop him from destroying a Follower of Shimer? 

 

"He's not one of them," Zelgadis murmured. "Don't waste your power on a fake, Xelloss. Save it for the real ones. That's what we came here for, remember?"

 

Xelloss snapped his head around to stare at Zelgadis as the words sank in. Once again, it seemed, he had forgotten that Zelgadis' true goal in coming here was to help him eliminate the Shrinekeepers of Shimer. His lust for that vengeance captivated Xelloss, just as it had when Zelgadis had recognized Marcus at the Gate. But for now, Zelgadis simply let that desire simmer, fueled by the hope of what he might find here in the library of the Asmalaths that would make their eventual defeat of the Shrinekeepers even more sure and sweet. 

 

For that vengeance, Xelloss realized, Zelgadis was even willing to be stared at and fawned over by Melly, or studied like a schoolboy's science project. Or even willing to risk his stone skin by grabbing a high powered Mazoku on the verge of an all-out attack. 

 

Abruptly, Xelloss shuttered his power. Relief flashed in the chimera's crystalline eyes, and a little smile pulled at his lips. He leaned in closer, resting his cheek against Xelloss' hair.

 

"Besides," Zelgadis went on quietly, with a puff of a sigh as if he was catching his breath. "If you don't mind, for once I'd like to see if there's anything of value here before you incinerate everything!"

 

He managed to turn the last words into a growl, with a little bit of old, familiar anger behind them, but Xelloss guessed that he was calling it up on purpose to assure his full attention. And perhaps, he thought suddenly, to distract himself. Underneath the anger and the relief there was something that felt suspiciously like desire of a more mundane sort. Tendrils of the chimera's astral spirit still curled around his, gently probing at him as if seeking the power he'd sealed away again. 

 

Anyone else, any ordinary human, would have been soul-singed by the proximity, but somehow, instinctively, Zelgadis had shielded himself from the force of it. Xelloss almost winced at the irony; for weeks he'd been trying to teach Zelgadis how to defend himself on the astral side, and now he'd done it without even thinking in order to save Shuno - and the library. They were going to have a serious talk about this! But it would have to be later. He certainly wasn't about to discuss astral magic theory in front of Shuno. 

 

He had thought his life would be so much simpler when Zelgadis had announced he was going to align his own quest with Xelloss' mission, but he was starting to realize that simple did not necessarily equal easy. The natural urge to destroy something, or at the very least, to stir up some entertaining chaos, was still at odds with the necessity of duty. Since helping Zelgadis find more powerful magic was part of his duty to protect him, it was also his duty to protect the library and to make sure Zelgadis had access to it for as long as necessary. That meant that, for the time being, he was just going to have to quell that urge and tolerate Melly's fawning over the chimera and Shuno's schoolboy experiments.

 

It also meant that he was going to have to do something he'd never expected to do: sit back and watch while Zelgadis explored a library full of magical lore to his heart's content. 

 

_\--_

Still twitching inside with the effort to not destroy something after all, Xelloss looked past Zelgadis' shoulder to see Shuno sprawled back against a jumbled shelf of books and manuscripts. The boy clutched his wrist, fingers clenched around the leather band and the Shards of the false Relic. Xelloss vaguely remembered smashing them with his staff, without even thinking about it at the time. Dust and loose papers settled around them as the energy he'd nearly unleashed withdrew from the physical plane. Wide green eyes stared up at him, unblinking, glassy with wonder. In spite of that, Xelloss was disappointed to notice, only the tiniest twist of actual fear trickled from him. He'd probably been too busy theorizing about his own imminent destruction to actually worry about it. 

 

Zelgadis breathed another sigh of relief and stepped back, although the touch on the astral side slipped away more reluctantly. Xelloss smirked a little at that. He'd finally got the chimera's full attention away from Melly and his library, and back on himself, at any rate! 

 

He knew he shouldn't find that almost as satisfying as destroying something, but he had to admit that it was - almost. Unfortunately, Xelloss realized a second later, he wasn't going to be able to keep Zelgadis' full attention for long. 

 

Melianthus fluttered past them and pulled Shuno upright, brushing dust off of his shoulders. He ignored the small avalanche of books and scrolls that tumbled from the shelves where Shuno had landed, tossed his hair back over his shoulder and turned toward them. It took Xelloss a moment to realize that he was bristling with indignation at them, or as close to bristling as he could get. Which wasn't much. 

 

"Here now, all of you!" the Mala said, waving his hands as if to clear the air of the dust Xelloss had stirred up. "I don't want any fighting in my house! You all have to get along, or else," he huffed, almost pink with the effort to be forceful, "or else you'll just have to leave!"

 

Zelgadis winced, stiff with panic as the whole library suddenly threatened to slip from his grasp after all. It was hard to imagine Melly actually working up enough energy to throw anyone out of his house, but Xelloss (very reluctantly) agreed that it was better not to give him the excuse, at least not until, as Zelgadis said, they found out if there was anything here that could help their quest. 

 

With an effort of will worthy of a Mazoku of his rank, he stepped away from Zelgadis and called up his friendliest, silliest smile. 

 

"My deepest apologies, Melianthus-sama," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "And to you, Shuno-san. Your experiment startled me so much that I quite forgot my manners!"

 

"Well, of course it did," Melly said. "I'm sure you meant no harm, Shuno-kun, but really, you must stop springing your experiments on people without any warning! It's rather rude, you know."

 

"Not to mention dangerous," Zelgadis muttered. 

 

Shuno shrugged, taking little notice of Melly's fussing or Xelloss' apology. 

 

"I can't imagine why those Shimerian idiots needed that jewel anyway," he said. He flicked away a sliver of empty crystal that still stuck to the leather band. "Any intelligent person would know a mazoku when he sees one."

 

Xelloss guessed that was all the acknowledgment he was going to get; under the circumstances, he supposed it would have to be enough.

 

Behind them, he heard a softly muttered, "Dork!" 

 

He turned to see Myona roll his eyes at Shuno dismissively, but the boy was shaking; his face was whiter than usual, and his eyes glittered feverishly. He blushed suddenly and managed a weak smile when Xelloss caught his eye. Now that he noticed, Xelloss sensed the rich aura of Myona's terror just starting to fade. It was sweet, but this time it had been genuine. Xelloss was gratified to know that at least one person in the room was suitably impressed by the glimpse of his true power. 

 

As dark as Myona's fear was, however, he didn't find it nearly as appealing as the mix of anticipation and frustration that radiated from Zelgadis. Especially when Melianthus took his arm again and gazed around at the book-lined walls as if he'd never seen them before.

 

"Now, then," Melianthus said, "you were interested in the family chronicles of the exodus from Skye, weren't you, Zelgadis-san? Let me see. Where would those be, I wonder?"

 

Zelgadis' long, pointed ears drooped visibly, although Xelloss was certain he was the only one who noticed. It was obvious - as they should have guessed by now - that Melianthus had no idea where to find the chronicle of Skye, even in his own library.

 

\---

to be continued! next: Zelgadis catches a glimpse of something promising in the library, and Xelloss sets Mazoku pride aside to make sure he can get a better look at it. 


	17. A Matter of Duty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelgadis makes a discovery in the library, and Xelloss does something bizarre to help him out of an awkward moment.

Melianthus turned slowly, finger to his chin, his gaze wandering all around the room at the multitude of books on all the shelves. Clearly, he was just as lost in the library as he'd seemed to be in the rest of his mansion. Zelgadis twitched impatiently, but the polite, attentive smile remained plastered to the chimera's face. Xelloss followed suit and just stood there smiling at nothing in particular, ignoring both Melly and Shuno as thoroughly as possible. He didn't even watch, really, when Zelgadis moved closer to Melly and practically leaned over his shoulder in order to follow his gaze.

 

Instead, Xelloss focused his awareness on his magical senses, and was mildly surprised to detect a faint magical aura in the room. It was hard to tell if any of it came from the books themselves or from some lingering spell cast by a past member of the Asmalath family. It was not unusual for a sorcerer to cast a spell of protection on a book of spells, or even on a whole collection, but some magical documents gathered an aura of their own merely from the words and symbols inscribed on their pages. None of it was strong enough to be worrisome, but it would definitely be enough to pique Zelgadis' interest even further.

 

Myona edged into the room behind them. Xelloss watched him slowly walk past a row of shelves, fingertips trailing across the lettering engraved on the spines of the books there, as if he was drawn toward the tales that might lurk within leather and paper. Xelloss wondered if that was part of the reason Myona had prompted them to come here. He loved stories, but he probably didn't get much of them from books at the Temple where "the old ways" of oral storytelling prevailed.

 

Shuno turned to go back to his own research project, whatever that might be. Xelloss wasn't about to ask. There was a crunch of broken glass, and Shuno paused to frown down at the shards of the fake relic under his feet.

 

"Huh," he said. He shook his foot, and pieces of glass scattered from the sole of his boot. "Useless. Even though the theory was sound. I suppose those swords and spears they use operate on a different principal..."

 

Xelloss managed not to cringe. The idea of Shuno attempting to recreate the Shrinekeepers' weapons was every bit as alarming as it was absurd.

 

"Surely, Shuno-kun, you wouldn't go to the trouble of trying to design those weapons merely out of scholarly curiosity?" he said, in the mildest, friendliest tone of voice he could conjure up.

 

Shuno blinked at him. "All knowledge is valuable," he said. "What better way is there to learn about something than to build it?"

 

"But, I hardly think..." Xelloss began uneasily. He hated to think that this scatterbrained scientist might be right, but he remembered Zelgadis' words in Shimeria: the Mazoku's disregard of Shimer's magic was exactly what the sorcerer had counted on. If they'd taken the trouble to understand it sooner, Shimer might not have nearly succeeded in destroying their entire race.

 

He winced. "Mazoku logic, I suppose," he said to himself.

 

Shuno wasn't listening anymore, anyway. His attention had already wandered away again, caught by something he'd spotted on one of the tables.

 

"Oy! Melly!" he called across the room.

 

Melianthus spun around, his long hair spreading around him like a veil. He didn't seem the least bit bothered by Shuno's casual form of address, however. He looked where Shuno was pointing, at a neat stack of books on a corner of the farthest table.

 

"They're right there," Shuno said. "Right where that Guild woman left them."

 

"Ah! Yes, of course." Melianthus said. He huffed, tossing a strand of hair back over his shoulder. "Well, I'm sure Zelgadis-san will appreciate them much more than that silly professor did."

 

He took Zelgadis' arm again, but it was hardly necessary; the chimera was already halfway to the spot before he'd finished speaking. Xelloss sensed his excitement spiking as he reached for the top book on the pile. It seemed he might have stumbled upon some of Professor Herringull's "original sources" after all.

 

Xelloss ambled over to the table to take a peek at them too, but by the time he got there, Zelgadis was already frowning. Xelloss sensed disappointment creep back in as he scanned the pages of the journal.

 

"That one is the better version, I think," Melly said, nodding toward the book Zelgadis held while he leafed through another book from the same stack. "The scholars seem to think this one is more, well, scholarly, but it's so dry! I've never been able to read it all the way through."

 

Zelgadis visibly winced at something on the page, but he caught himself and snapped the book shut before Xelloss could get a peek at it.

 

"Yes, this looks like a rather more... colorful...description of the journey," he said. He picked up another from the pile and frowned at it. "You say these are different versions; is there an original chronicle somewhere that these are all based on?"

 

"Oh yes, of course," Melly said, "They're all compiled from my ancestors' journal of the events as they happened. That should be right here somewhere, too. That Professor what-was-her-name who was here a year or two ago insisted on seeing it, even though I warned her...

 

"Three years ago, actually," Xelloss heard Myona say in a rather dazed-sounding whisper, "last spring..."

 

He grinned; Herringull had obviously made a more favorable impression on one person in the village! But Myona was staring around at the books and hardly seemed to realize that he'd spoken out loud.

 

 _Warned her of what?_ Xelloss wondered. He saw Zelgadis' brow furrow with the same question. Melly shuffled through the stack of books, but as far as Xelloss could see, none of them were old enough to be the journal of an event that had happened thousands of years ago (assuming it had happened at all).

 

Melly soon wandered off toward the shelves again, but this time Zelgadis didn't follow. With a brief shudder of some emotion that Xelloss couldn't quite catch, Zelgadis stifled a sigh. He pressed a finger to the bridge of his nose and then looked up at the shelves beseechingly, as if begging them to reveal their secrets in spite of their owner.

 

Myona had paused in front of a small bookcase crowded with books of all shapes and sizes, some bound with leather and cloth, some merely tied together between thin wooden covers, with a few old parchment scrolls jumbled in among them. The boy tipped his head to try to read the lettering on their spines, his fingertips spread to trail over them as if he could decipher them by touch.

 

Zelgadis squinted at the books that had caught Myona's interest, and then, leaving Melianthus to his ineffectual search, he went over to take a closer look. Curious, Xelloss strolled over to join them.

 

"Have you found something interesting, Myona-kun?" Zelgadis asked quietly.

 

Hopeful again, Xelloss realized; after all, Myona knew what they were really looking for. But the boy shook his head with a little shrug.

 

"I don't know. These look really old, but I can't read any of them," he said. "I was just wondering what kind of stories might be in old books like these."

 

"Hm, I see," Zelgadis said. He carefully plucked one of the old volumes from the shelf. "None of these are written in our language."

 

"Ah!" Xelloss said. "Yes, Myona-kun said there might even be books in that old dialect that no one learns to read anymore! Although, of course, merely being old or in an ancient language doesn't mean..."

 

He broke off as he sensed Zelgadis' excitement spiral up to a breathtaking peak.

 

"Well, you never know," Zelgadis said casually, but his tone of voice was just the opposite of the eager gleam in his eyes. "There might be something a little interesting, even in some old book like this."

 

He turned the volume in his hand; Xelloss tipped his head to read the faded letters on the cover. It was, indeed, written in the same nearly forgotten language as the writing on their cottage wall.

 

" _The Warp and Weft of Spellweaving,_ " Xelloss read aloud quietly. "A rather quaint concept of magic," he added. 

 

"I thought that was what it said." Zelgadis nodded, the grin starting to spread across his face. "Do you think it's only a quaint idea? I wonder. Rezo spoke of a book with this title. It's supposed to be very ancient, written by nameless sorcerers in the days before the War of the Monster's Fall. He spent some time searching for it, in fact, although hardly any fragments of it exist in our language. As a matter of fact," he continued, still carefully casual, although Xelloss could hear the tremor of excitement in his voice," he said that it was one of the legendary original books of magical knowledge. If it even existed."

 

"Ah, did he?" Xelloss said softly. He could see why Zelgadis didn't want to make his interest in the book too obvious, although the Mala probably didn't even realize he had such a rare and valuable document in his library.

 

He peered at it curiously. The Red Priest's interest in weaving together disparate aspects of magic - or of magical beings - certainly explained the chimera's reaction to the ancient document. In fact, it was a charmingly predictable reaction, but he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

 

"I suppose," he said, doubtfully, "weaving itself includes the art of unraveling things that have been woven together..."

 

"It might," Zelgadis said. "But if you remember, there was another sorcerer in Rezo's day who was particularly adept at weaving spells into magical nets for the unwary!"

 

Xelloss stared at him, as blank as Melly for a moment, until he remembered Zelgadis' own description of the intricately woven magic of Shimer's Relics.

 

"I see! I guess a book like this might make an interesting bit of bed-time reading, at that!" he said.

 

He briefly considered tucking _The Warp and Weft of Spellweaving_ away in his cloak, but it left a rather obvious gap in the shelf. Even if Melly was probably too oblivious to notice, he decided it wasn't quite worth taking the chance on being banned from the mansion for theft. Not yet, anyway! After all, if there was one possibly legendary book of magic in the Asmalath library, there might well be others.

 

Besides, Melianthus had wandered over to them now, still gazing around absently at the shelves above their heads. He peered over Zelgadis' shoulder, standing on tiptoe and placing a hand on said shoulder as if it was necessary to steady himself, Xelloss noticed. The other delicate hand held his impossibly long hair back from his face as he looked at the book Zelgadis held.

 

"Oh, that old writing," he said dismissively.

 

If he knew that one of his books was supposed to be a lost legend of magical lore, he certainly didn't seem concerned about it. He squinted briefly at the other books on the shelf and shrugged. "Hm, yes, the family chronicle of the exodus is written like that, too, but I don't see it here. Of course, that professor couldn't read it; I told her she wouldn't be able to. I suppose that's why it's not with the others she asked to look at, but I can't think where it could have got to since she was here..."

 

"This," Shuno said, suddenly stepping up behind them. "Here."

 

He thrust the manuscript in his hand out toward Zelgadis. It was a thick stack of yellow sheets of paper, held together with cowhide strips inside an old leather cover.

 

"Oh, very good, Shuno, you found it!" Melianthus said. "It's not much to look at, as you can see, but there it is! It's a shame no one can read it anymore, I suppose, but really, the translations are supposed to be very accurate."

 

Zelgadis handed  _The Warp and Weft of Spellweaving_ to Xelloss. He took the manuscript from Shuno, carefully opened it and scanned a page at random. 

 

"Well, it's not easy to read this handwriting, but..." he murmured.

 

"You can read it?" Shuno said. He stared at Zelgadis, watching his eyes cross the page as intently as if they were one of his magical experiments. "That language?"

 

Zelgadis nodded absently and turned the page.

 

"Yes, a little," he murmured. "I learned it when I was with Rezo. He even kept some of his personal notes in this dialect. This is a little different, but I can..."

 

Shuno stepped forward, shoving in between Xelloss and Melly to get right in front of Zelgadis. Xelloss barely restrained himself from wedging himself in between them with his full, open-eyed glare turned on the scholar. But then Shuno's words made his eyes fly open in surprise, anyway.

 

"Teach me," Shuno said.

 

Zelgadis looked up from the book, startled. "Uh - what?"

 

"Even the Sorcerer's Guild doesn't teach that language anymore. I tried to teach myself, but it's taking too long. You can teach me."

 

"Oh, that would be lovely!" Melianthus said, before Zelgadis could form any more coherent answer. He clasped his hands over his chest like a swooning maiden. "I didn't think anyone in the world could still read that language! Well, if even a Guild scholar couldn't, you know. Even up at the Temple, there isn't anyone who remembers it."

 

He sighed, and petted the limp manuscript fondly. "I would so love to be able to read my ancestor's journals, too, but I'm afraid I'm terrible at languages! But if you're giving lessons, Zelgadis-san, perhaps I can look on and learn a little too?"

 

"I, uh," Zelgadis stammered.

 

He shrank back against the book case. Shuno merely stared at him, green eyes unblinking, and of course Melly's most intense enthusiasm was almost indistinguishable from total disinterest, but caught between the two of them, Zelgadis cringed like a thief caught with the goods.

 

Normally, Xelloss would have had to giggle over the chimera's predicament. Of course, Zelgadis couldn't refuse Shuno's request for fear of offending the Mala, even though having the two of them hanging over him at every moment would make it decidedly difficult for him to pursue his own line of research here. But this time, for his own reasons, Xelloss _wanted_ him to do that research. Under the circumstances, he couldn't really enjoy the familiar sense of desperation as magical knowledge threatened to slip from Zelgadis' fingertips once again.

 

Because, he heard himself reasoning silently, it was his duty to protect Zelgadis from the Soldiers of Shimer, and therefore it was also his duty to ensure that Zelgadis could find any magical lore that he could use against those Soldiers, and that meant - reason went on, insistently - it was also his duty to keep Shuno from nosing around him while he investigated the Mala's library, but it also meant keeping the Mala happy so that he would be allowed to do so, and _that_ meant he couldn't very well vaporize the annoying little magical scientist as he so dearly wanted to do...

 

Therefore - Mazoku logic dictated - there was only one thing he could do.

 

"I'll teach you, Shuno-kun," he said.

 

A rather shocked silence followed this offer.

 

Or maybe, Xelloss thought a second later, it only seemed shocked to him because he could hardly believe what he'd just said. Shuno merely shifted his unblinking stare to him, and Melly turned to him with no more nor less than the same empty smile as ever. Zelgadis drooped with relief, then did a double-take, and out of the corner of his eye, Xelloss saw Myona arch one eyebrow, mildly startled, but neither of them looked or felt as if the sun had just starting going backwards across the sky. Which is what he felt like had happened, even though he was the one who'd said the words.

 

"Of course," Shuno said. He nodded, as if that settled everything. "Even better."

 

He turned and glanced up at the high window behind them. The light had faded, even though it was still the middle of the day, as far as Xelloss could tell; he hadn't kept track of time while they were wandering around the mansion.

 

"We can't start today, or tomorrow," Shuno said shortly, turning back to him. "The storm's moving in, and I have to get back to the Temple for a Recitation. Tomorrow it's The Drowning Seas passage of the Making of Worlds. I have to hear that. I'll be here the day after tomorrow, though."

 

He seemed to assume this meant that Xelloss would be here, too, ready to teach him all he knew of ancient, forgotten languages.

 

"I suppose we can begin then," Xelloss said, stretching his face into a grin. "If Melianthus-sama doesn't mind, that is!"

 

"No reason he should," Shuno said.

 

Without waiting to find out if Melly minded or not, he turned away and walked out of the library, leaving Xelloss to stare after him with his mouth hanging open and wonder what on earth he'd just gotten himself into.

 

\--

The Mala didn't seem the least bit bothered by Shuno's presumption, in fact, he was already going on about lesson plans and study schedules. He almost seemed excited, but if he actually felt anything, Xelloss couldn't detect it. Zelgadis' puzzling, shifting mix of emotions caught all of his attention.

 

The chimera stared at him bemusedly for a second, and then turned back to Melly with the family journal in his hand, and the most demure (and obviously false) smile Xelloss had ever seen on his face.

 

"I'm definitely looking forward to reading this, Melianthus-sama," he said, quite earnestly. "However," he paused and glanced up at the darkening window, "we've imposed enough on you for today. Shuno-kun was right, it looks like the storm is coming in, and I'm sure Myona's sister the High Priestess will be concerned if we don't get him back to the Temple soon."

 

Xelloss couldn't quite believe what he'd just heard: Zelgadis voluntarily walking away from a library full of magical knowledge? He'd expected the chimera to camp out here until he was physically dislodged from the place. But the little pout of disappointment on Melly's face seemed to indicate that he'd heard correctly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Myona make a face; clearly he thought this concern was unnecessary, but he didn't say anything. Melly deflated from his brief flutter of energy.

 

"Oh, dear! Well if you must go, I suppose you must," he said.

 

"Yes," Zelgadis said, nodding firmly. "We must. But would you be so kind as to allow me to borrow this journal until we return? I'd like to see how much of it I can translate on my own before I read the other versions."

 

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that," Melianthus said airily. "I'm afraid the only one I can allow to leave the library is that rather dry version, if you'd care to borrow that for a day or two."

 

Zelgadis didn't seem to be much disappointed by this, nor even surprised.

 

"Thank you very much," he said with a polite nod. "I'll start with that one then."

 

He slipped out of Melly's grasp and went over to snatch the book in question from the table, and left the untranslated manuscript with the others.

 

Xelloss barely had a chance to tuck _The Warp and Weft of Spellweaving_ back into its place on the shelf before Zelgadis was back at his elbow with the neatly bound, "scholarly" copy of the Skye chronicle firmly in hand. He nudged Xelloss toward the door and gestured to Myona. Xelloss went along obediently, too surprised to say anything, and almost too confused to remember to smile politely to Melly - just in case he even noticed - as they left the library.

 

Zelgadis led the way, striding purposefully along the maze of corridors. Melianthus trailed along at one side, chatting continuously about the family chronicle and the various versions of it, while Xelloss, on Zel's other, side alternated between fretting over his impulsive offer to teach Shuno an ancient language and puzzling over Zelgadis' sudden urgency to leave. It seemed to him that Zelgadis' excitement still simmered under his ingratiating smile, but for some reason Xelloss couldn't figure out, he was clearly far more eager to get away than to stay.

 

They came back to the front entrance hall much more quickly than they'd found the library. Melly was halfway to the door with them before he seemed to realize where they were.

 

"I'm so dearly looking forward to seeing you again the day after tomorrow!" he said when they paused to say goodbye at the door. He barely glanced at Xelloss as he spoke, of course. His hand was once again on Zelgadis' arm, and he was staring at the chimera's silvery hair as it glinted in the light from the windows beside the door. "Perhaps, while you're having lessons, I can make some sketches of you, Zelgadis-sama. For your portrait, you know!"

 

"Uh, yes, perhaps," Zelgadis said, although Xelloss saw him cringe at the reminder. The chimera's dread at the thought of being Melly's model was nearly as sharp as his own horror at being Shuno's teacher. Somehow, though, Zelgadis managed to twist a grimace into what passed for a gracious smile.

 

"I'm looking forward to returning as well, Melianthus-sama," he said, and he almost managed to sound as if he really meant it.

 

Then he fled out the door as if the Demon King of the North himself was nipping at his heels.

 

\--

 

Once outside, the rush became more of a necessity. The storm was indeed coming ashore with fury. The wind lash the point from all directions, and the first drops of cold rain pelted their faces as they hurried across the garden to the path above the bay. Zelgadis dropped back to walk beside Xelloss, letting Myona lead the way again.

 

"Thank you, _sensei_ ," he muttered aside to Xelloss, too quietly for even Myona to hear over the rush of the wind. "I hope Shuno's a slow learner, because it's going to take me months to explore that entire library," he added with a grin. "But for heaven's sake, don't teach him any real magic!"

 

"Of course not!" Xelloss said, horrified. "A mazoku teaching a human... well...anything at all, actually..." he added weakly.

 

"Heh," Zelgadis said. He leaned a little closer, and such a heady mix of emotions wafted from him that Xelloss felt dazed for a moment: excitement, eagerness, even gratitude, all bound up with a dark swirl of frustration. His voice dropped even lower. "Does that mean you plan to set aside your other magical lessons while you're busying teaching Shuno how to read?"

 

His voice was more of a suggestive purr than words, but it took Xelloss a gaping second longer to realize that the chimera's frustration had as much to do with _him_ as with Melly and his library. He finally recognized the subdued flutter of emotion he'd felt from Zelgadis earlier, which welled up in him now mingled with the relief and gratitude. It was barely subdued lust, and it wasn't all for the Mala's library after all.

 

Which meant offering to teach Shuno a dead language had been exactly the right thing to do, whether Mazoku logic said so or not.

 

"No, Zelgadis-san," he said, and smiled. "I certainly do not."

 

\---

 

next! After a little random distraction, Zelgadis finds ways to make it up to Xelloss for ignoring him....

 

 


	18. A Touch of Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little distraction on the way back to the cottage is not enough to keep Zelgadis from craving Xelloss' touch.

 

Xelloss couldn't help feeling like there was something very odd about Zelgadis running away from a vast magical library, but given the flashes of emotion he was catching from the chimera, he was not inclined to argue. Zelgadis sped back along the path toward the village and temple almost fast enough to be called flying, easily ignoring the stinging cold rain and the wind gusts that constantly buffeted them from all sides. Of course, Xelloss hardly minded the weather, but it was as good an excuse as any to rush along behind Zelgadis with his head bowed, letting his cloak flutter like a flag in the wind.  
  
In fact, the only one who did not seem to be in a hurry to get out of the weather - or to get home for any other reason - was the one most affected by it. Myona was drenched through and shivering, the blasts of wind sometimes threatened to knock him off his feet, but he staggered along behind them with his face to the wind and a dreamy smile on his face. He had to blink the rain out of his eyes, but he kept gazing across the churning bay at the ruins even though they were only ghostly dark shapes seen through tattered curtains of rain.   
  
Zelgadis glanced back a couple of times to make sure the boy was still following. Finally, when they came to the high point where the track from the south converged with the path to the village, he turned. Myona had all but stopped, dragging his feet along the muddy path, squinting through the rain.  
  
"If you want to visit the ruins so badly, Myona-kun," Zelgadis said, "I can Levitate you over there right now!"  
  
Myona let out a little squeak of alarm, barely audible through the sound of wind whistling through the rocks and the crash of surf far below. Xelloss closed his eyes and smiled at the sweet little shot of fear inspired by that threat of having his feet. Zelgadis smirked and ruffled the boy's hair.  
  
"Come on, let's just get home out of this rain," he said gruffly, with a rare, indulgent smile.  
  
Myona didn't respond. He seemed to be frozen to the spot, and Xelloss realized with surprise that his flurry of emotions had only spiked up even higher. Not from Zelgadis' idle threat, though. Myona was staring intensely at the ruins, his mouth set in a grim line, his huge eyes narrowed. His emotions were almost too intense to identify, but Xelloss had the impression there was something more like rage among them now.  
  
"Oh, damn, what the hell is that idiot doing?" Zelgadis muttered suddenly.  
  
Xelloss finally spotted what they were both now staring at. Two thirds of the way up the cliff below the ruins, a man clung to the wet, overhanging rocks. It was not clear if he meant to be on his way up or on his way down; at the moment, he seemed to be quite stuck where he was.  
  
"What indeed?" Xelloss echoed.

 

It was an ordinary human man, as far as Xelloss could tell, certainly not any beast-person who might be expected to climb walls. He wore traveler's clothes and had a bag slung across his back, and his long, rain-soaked coat billowed in an updraft. He was definitely not dressed for rock climbing in a coastal storm.

 

"Is that someone from the village? What's he doing?" Zelgadis muttered, squinting through the rain with his hand shielding his eyes.

 

Myona shuddered, half hiding his eyes as the man scrabbled from one precarious foothold to another. "I can't tell," he said. "I don't know who it is."

 

"Maybe he was on his way to visit the Dream Master and took a wrong turn!" Xelloss suggested.

 

Myona shook his head quickly. "That would be crazy!"

 

" _You're_ saying that?" Zelgadis muttered, arching an eyebrow.

 

But Myona had his eyes shut and covered now. Apparently even he didn't go climbing down the sheer side of the cliff above the jumbled stones far underneath. At least the sea was relatively calm down there in the crook of the cliff's arm, but it was a sheer drop onto the rocks. Within the larger bay, white-capped waves crashed across each other, the tide doing battle with the gusty winds.

 

Zelgadis pointed down at something bobbing in the water among the black stones at the foot of the cliff. Xelloss realized it was a small rowboat wedged in between the rocks.

 

"His boat must have fetched up in the calm under the cliff," Zelgadis said. "He had to be crazy to try to get across the bay to shore in that heavy surf! He's lucky he didn't get smashed on the rocks."

 

Not very lucky, though, Xelloss thought. The cliff leaned outward above him, and it looked like the going was about to get more difficult before it got better. With a frustrated sigh, Zelgadis checked the wind and prepared to cast a flight spell.

 

"Oh my, Zelgadis-san, is it time for one of The Mysterious Swordsman's daring rescues?"  
  
Zelgadis scowled, partly at Xelloss but mostly at the cliff itself. Xelloss didn't blame him; with the wind curling and twisting around the hooked point, it would be difficult to Levitate close enough to grab the man without getting knocked against the rocks. That might do the cliff more damage than it would do to the chimera, but the collision would not help the rescue effort at all.

 

Xelloss could teleport over and pluck the man from the cliff with no effort at all, but...

 

"Don't bother saying it," Zelgadis muttered, with a brief glare in his direction. "Daring rescues are not in your repertoire."

 

Xelloss beamed at him. "I wouldn't want to upstage you!"

 

Zelgadis raised his hands and began the brief chant for Levitation. Before he had a chance to finish, the man on the cliff began to move. It looked extremely awkward and precarious at first, but it seemed he had found a foothold, and he inched along to the left and upward until, a moment later, he pulled himself up onto a narrow ledge.

 

Myona watched, white-knuckled, chewing on his lower lip, but once the man reached the ledge he let out a little breath, and some of his tension deflated.

 

"He found it," Xelloss heard him murmur.

 

"Is there a way up to the top from there?" Zelgadis asked, leaning forward to squint through the mist.

 

Myona nodded. "Sort of. If he's not too stupid he should be able to get back to the ... yeah, he's got it."

 

He abruptly turned away and started toward home. His boots slapped the muddy path, and he pulled his hood up over his head and walked with his head down now. Zelgadis raised his eyebrows at the boy, glanced over to check on the stranger's progress, then shrugged and followed.

 

"Good," he said.

 

Amused, Xelloss hung back and watched them both for a moment, grinning. Then Zelgadis fired off a round of desire so strong it nearly buffeted him off the cliff.

 

"Oh! Right! Coming right along!" he said, and trotted after them without another thought for the man who didn't need to be rescued after all. He was curious about those ruins himself, but he wasn't _that_ curious. 

 

Myona marched right along quickly now, without another glance at the hooked cliff or anything else. He didn't seem to care or even notice if they followed him or not.

 

They did, Zelgadis quick-stepping along right behind him and Xelloss watching both of them from behind with amusement. But instead of winding up along the back side of the village by the way they'd come, Myona suddenly turned and started down a narrow lane that led south through the village. Zelgadis stopped at the turn.

 

"Myona?"

 

Myona stopped, but he didn't look back.

 

"You're going home, right?"

 

Myona's chin went down and one shoulder went up. Xelloss thought that could be taken as a nod, or not. They didn't know exactly where he lived; it could very well be in that direction, but so was the way to the hook-shaped point.

 

"Did you need me for anything else today, Zelgadis-san?"

 

Zelgadis sighed and looked at the heavy, wet sky. "No, I guess not. It's going to get dark early, isn't it."

 

Myona nodded, and when Zelgadis said nothing else, he started to turn away again.

 

"Tomorrow," Zel began.

 

Myona looked back at him over his shoulder, his face still half hidden by his hood. Zelgadis clearly didn't know what he was going to say about tomorrow, and just stood there with his mouth open for a moment. Xelloss came to his rescue.

 

"Why don't we hear your story tomorrow, Myona-kun? Then Zel-san can compare it to the ones in Mel -- that is, the Mala's books."

 

Zel welcomed that idea enthusiastically but Myona's expression didn't change. After a second he nodded, wet hair scattering a few drops.

 

"Sure, if that's what you want."

 

Zelgadis nodded, and Xelloss grinned.

 

"I'm looking forward to it!" Xelloss said, quite honestly.

 

But Myona no longer seemed interested in telling his own stories, or in anything else as far as Xelloss could tell. The boy had drawn that impenetrable veil over his emotions again. Without another word, he walked away.

 

"I can't believe he wanted to go out there in this weather!" Zelgadis said, shaking his head. "What was he thinking? No wonder Kemara worries about him."

 

Xelloss said nothing to this, but he wondered why the sight of the stranger had disturbed Myona so much that it nearly trumped his excitement over telling them his own stories. Perhaps the man wasn't a stranger after all.

 

In any case, it was not their business, Xelloss thought, silently excusing his own concern as a sense of responsibility to the Acting High Priestess. Zelgadis evidently reached the same conclusion and remembered how intent he was on getting back to their cottage, judging by the wicked grin he gave to Xelloss.

\---

 

Zelgadis nearly sighed audibly with relief when they reached the cottage. It was the longest they'd stayed in one place since leaving Seyroon, and it already gave him a sense of coming home. He paused just inside the door and let his wet cloak drop off his shoulders to the floor.

 

He was about to turn and pull Xelloss close when the mazoku saved him the trouble. Xelloss kicked the door closed behind them and caught Zelgadis in his arms before he could take another step, and tugged him back against his chest. Strong and very solid arms wrapped around Zelgadis so tightly that the breath was jolted out of him.

 

He didn't mind in the least. All of Melly's shadowy pawing at him was like a reminder of all that he could no longer feel through his body's rock-hard shell, but Xelloss was a weight and force that he could feel without a doubt, a presence strong enough to break through the barrier that cut him off from the world of sensation. His other senses being enhanced by the Brow Demon's magical nature did not always make up for the loss of sensory pleasure, but he had never missed it much until Xelloss had reminded him what it was like to really feel another person's touch.

 

His demon third also enhanced his awareness of the mazoku's spirit pressing around his. That intangible touch could be gentle and teasing, but it could also envelope his spirit entirely. It could muffle all his other senses and seem to shut out the world, and that could be comforting - or terrifying.

 

That part of Xelloss wrapped around him now like thick, dark mist, like black water, like liquid iron, and Xelloss' arms tightened around his chest like iron bands. He could not draw back the breath he'd let out in relief. He knew struggling in Xelloss' grasp was useless anyway. The mazoku could bring any level of strength to bear in his physical form, but the psychic smothering on the astral side simply prevented him from even thinking of breathing.

 

But he could _feel_ Xelloss. He knew this touch now, and knew that it wanted him, however strange the fascination might seem, and however dangerous and horrifying the touch itself might be. If it hungered for fear, if Xelloss wanted breathless terror from him right now, he would gladly give him that in return for this intense, intoxicating sensation.

 

He struggled just enough to feed his own surge of panic, squirmed and twisted blindly on the astral side, and smiled a little hysterically when he heard Xelloss let out a pleased moan.

 

But then, he felt and heard Xelloss growl, and the shadow limbs and the solid arms both tore at him, dug into him with black-diamond-sharp claws. For a second his struggle became real, panic blanked out his mind beyond any thought of need or giving. Barely a heartbeat later, the grip went slack, leaving him limp and gasping inside the loose ring of the Mazoku's arms. He dragged his mind back to physical awareness to feel the air burning into his lungs with quick gasps, and to make sure Xelloss had not let go of him completely. He found he had gripped the mazoku's arm with one of his own, still holding him tight unconsciously, even through the deepest moment of panic.

 

If Xelloss was having doubts and thinking of pulling away again, Zelgadis, thought, he was going to have to Fireball the mazoku. Fortunately for both of them and the cottage, Xelloss leaned forward again and pressed his face to the side of Zelgadis' head, and held onto him, close but not stifling.

 

"Ah, Zelgadis-san," Xelloss sighed, nuzzling the tip of his ear. " _Stupid_ chimera!" The words were harsher than usual but he sounded sad.

 

Zelgadis was still too busy catching his breath to ask what the hell that meant. Was he really angry after all about all the attention he'd given to Melly, or was it because he was now stuck with acting friendly toward Shuno instead of incinerating the would-be scientist? It might only be coincidence that Xelloss' hand was now trailing through his hair, brushing the tip of his ear as he followed the stiff strands down to his shoulder, following one of the same paths that Melly's hand had taken on him.

 

"I would be stupid if I were really interested in the Mala," he said, grinning back over his shoulder. "But you know I'm only interested in him for his library. Surely you're not jealous!"

 

Xelloss' gloved hand fluttered onto his shoulder, but he jerked his head back and scowled.

 

"I should be jealous of his library, shouldn't I?" he said with indignation that had to be exaggerated. "I suppose I'll always have to compete with books for your attention! But I'm more annoyed with you for that incredibly foolish stunt you pulled when you grabbed me just as I was about to incinerate Shuno-kun! You realize that you put yourself right in the power field of my attack, don't you? That alone should have been enough to fry even your thick hide!"

 

Zelgadis hadn't even thought about that at the time, but now he realized Xelloss must be right. He'd only noticed the waves of dark power funneling through the mazoku's form from the astral side, and he remembered that he had to quell his own urge to see that power released. Only the knowledge that even that power was not enough to withstand the true Relics allowed him to hold Xelloss back. He needed anything that might be in that library to - as strange as it was to think, especially at that moment - protect Xelloss. Rather unfortunately, that also meant not killing one of the Mala's friends, no matter how annoying that friend might be.

 

"Huh. It's a good thing you stopped when you did, then, isn't it?" he quipped.

 

Xelloss only scowled harder at him, showing the amethyst gleam of his eyes.

 

"It is a better thing that you figured out how to shield yourself from me just then. What's annoying beyond words is that you can't seem to do it again, or you would have just now, I should hope!"

 

Zelgadis blinked, startled. Is that what Xelloss had been trying to do a moment ago, provoke him to raise a shield against him? Then it was pointless. Under the circumstances, pushing Xelloss away was the last thing he wanted to do.

 

Xelloss had reached around to take hold of his hand from behind. He now used that grip to pivot Zelgadis around to face him.

 

"Do you even know what you did, Zelgadis-san? I hope so, because I'm afraid I was too distracted to notice at the time."

 

Zelgadis opened his mouth but he had no answer. All he could remember was throwing himself on Xelloss and trying to direct his attention away from Shuno, and a sense of shouting at him in the wordless energy flux of the astral plane. It had worked to stop the attack, but that alone didn't seem likely to have created a shield against the mazoku's power. Even the insane attraction he felt for all that focused power could not have protected him from it. The moth's desire for light does not prevent it being destroyed by the flame.

 

Reluctantly, he shook his head.

 

"I... I have no idea, Xelloss-sensei," he said, looking up at Xelloss from under his lashes like the chastised student who could not grasp the lesson. Then he frowned. "That doesn't mean you should go out and look for something else to destroy just to get me to do it again, you know."

 

"Ah well, as I said, I can't attack any of the Loremasters, and now I suppose I have to leave Melly-san and Shuno-kun alone as well," Xelloss pouted. "For now, at least!"

 

"Yes. Especially since Shuno seems to know his way around Melly's library better than Melly does. And I don't think Kemara would be very understanding if we destroyed the Mala in the course of a magical lesson. That would be a waste of energy anyway," he added.

 

Xelloss frowned, as if he was still hoping for an excuse to get rid of Melly and wouldn't even count it a waste of mazoku power. He was also still holding Zel's hand in both of his, which seemed rather an odd gesture for the mazoku until Zelgadis remembered it was exactly what Melly had done when they'd first met. The difference was that Xelloss' touch brought his senses to life and made him crave more. That was why he'd hastened them back to the cottage through the storm, after all.

 

"I knew what he was doing," he said, taking Xelloss' hands in his. He thought he knew what Xelloss was doing now, too, but he wasn't sure if Xelloss himself was aware of it or not. "I have no idea _why_ he was so ... interested in me, or curious or whatever it was, but I only let him get that close to me to make a good impression, you know. And anyway, it was hardly noticeable. Even with him hanging all over me, I had to keep reminding myself that he was there at all!" he said. "Your glare was a lot more noticeable," he added with a grin.

 

He pulled Xelloss' hand to his lips to kiss, and watched over his knuckle as the mazoku's eyes widened, then narrowed. Xelloss looked at their clasped hands suspiciously.

 

"Were you trying to make me jealous, Zel-kun? That was not very nice!"

 

He tried to pull his hands away then, but Zelgadis was not about to let him slip away like that again. Instead of letting go, he pulled Xelloss down with him as he dropped to the floor. The startled mazoku didn't resist, but he still looked a little confused when Zelgadis pulled him forward to kneel between his outstretched legs.

 

"Here," he said. He placed Xelloss' hand over his knee, over the place where Melly had rested his hand earlier. "You missed a spot."

 

Xelloss looked even more doubtful. Apparently he really didn't realize what he'd been doing. Zelgadis chuckled but didn't bother to explain. Deliberately, he let himself remember exactly why he'd been in such a rush to get back. His body responded to the thought, predictably and visibly.

 

There was one more second of hesitation, or maybe just surprise, before Xelloss smiled, lowered his head and curled his fingers, easily pressing into rock-covered flesh.

 

"Ah, that's better," Zelgadis sighed. "That, I can actually feel." He leaned forward to brush his lips against Xelloss' smiling mouth. "But you don't need to stop there."

 

"Oh?" Xelloss took the hint - all the hints that Zelgadis had been radiating at him since they'd escaped from Melly's presence. Suddenly there was not only pressure but heat in those fingertips, enough that it would have seared holes in his trousers if it wasn't magical heat. The mazoku tipped his head to the side, letting his lips flutter and tease Zel's as he slid his hand along Zel's thigh.

 

"What, exactly, can you feel, hm? Heat?" he continued, letting sparks dance from his fingertips. "Pressure? Pain?"

 

He nipped Zelgadis' lip with teeth sharp enough to draw blood, squeezed his thigh hard enough to make the stone skin crackle. Zelgadis gasped and winced, but he didn't fight Xelloss, only sidled closer to him on the floor.

 

"Friction?" Xelloss continued with a wicked grin.

 

Suddenly his hand was between Zel's spread legs, rubbing the rapidly growing erection through his pants. Zelgadis choked and whined, and in answer to the question, he hooked his arm around Xelloss' neck and dragged him into a deep, eager kiss. He felt Xelloss laugh as he fell backward and pulled the mazoku down on top of him.

 

Having raised the question, Xelloss now seemed determined to find all the answers in Zelgadis' skin. Sweet fire flowed from his palms, stinging ice from his fingertips, searing heat from his tongue that warmed the blood rushing under stone skin. So attuned to the mazoku now, Zelgadis even felt the weight of his gaze like a caress, and reveled in the weight of his body pressing him into the floor. He could feel Xelloss watching and listening to every response, humming thoughtfully as he tried something new, giggling when Zelgadis arched up against him and clawed at him in a predictable response.

 

"This seems to be one thing you can feel quite well, I've noticed," Xelloss said happily as he nipped his way down over Zel's hip, and then flicked his tongue over the tip of his erection.

 

"Ungh! Ah, yes," Zelgadis whined trying to flex his hips up for more, but Xelloss held him firmly in place. "I'm, ahhh, glad you've noticed that..."

 

He gave up trying to make a witty response in favor of moaning his approval when Xelloss did a few more acrobatic moves with his tongue.

 

"And this," Xelloss went on, pulling back so that Zelgadis could barely feel the flutter of his lips. He managed to glare impatiently but he couldn't quite catch enough breath to complain about Xelloss' slow and careful study of his body. "The particular sensation of sucking seems to be especially effective even on a rock golem's body, I believe!"

 

He proceeded to put this to the test in the most practical way possible, and Zelgadis enthusiastically confirmed the theory. The resulting spasm of emotion apparently equated to the same sort of stimulation on the mazoku's spirit, although Zelgadis supposed - in the muddled swirl that passed for thought after his orgasm - this result might not be replicated among others of the mazoku race. Not that he had any interest in testing out _that_ theory.

 

He managed to focus his gaze and attention enough to look up and see Xelloss leaning down over him, with that thoughtful, _listening_ look on his face, apparently catching the final results of his experimentation. The little frown of concentration melted into a smug grin.

 

"My my, Zel-san," he said. "This has been quite the day for discoveries, hasn't it?"

 

Zelgadis decided he really didn't have to rouse himself enough to answer that. He just about had enough energy to lift one hand and comb his fingers through silken strands of dark hair - and he had always had just enough sensation in his fingertips to enjoy that particular sensation. Xelloss' eyes drifted half closed; oddly enough, it seemed to be something Xelloss enjoyed as well, at least in a moment like this. He let his chin rest on Zel's chest with soft sigh.

 

"My my, Zel-san, I never expected you to drag me away from a library!" he said, softly but happily.

 

On his way to dozing off, it took Zelgadis a moment to think about this. It was something that certainly would have had their friends' mouths hanging open in surprise! But it wasn't the only oddity of the day.

 

"Heh," he answered with a sleepy grin. "I never expected you to go out of your way to give me access to one!" To say nothing of not destroying it, he thought, but he didn't say it. That might have been the oddest thing of all.

 

"It was only necessary," Xelloss murmured.

 

Mazoku logic, Zelgadis thought with a grin, and then drifted out of reach of thought entirely.

 

\---

 tbc...


	19. A Terrible Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a dark and stormy day, Xelloss and Zelgadis hear a couple of stories about the ruins, one that is terrible and one that is just plain bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for fairly graphic description of torture (not to any major characters) in this chapter. 
> 
> This is a revised version of chapter 19 as of 10/9/2013. There are a number of changes in plot details and editing from the old version.
> 
> ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Zelgadis lay for a while in that pleasant state of knowing he wasn't quite awake yet and didn't need to be. In those lovely few moments before he even had to move, he almost felt limp enough in the grip of sleep that his body might still be human. He had leisure to become aware of his surroundings before he had to open his eyes: the clickety-clatter of sleet hitting the windows of the cottage; the smell of coffee drifting in from the main room; Xelloss' presence, not hovering over him as he often was when Zelgadis awoke, but nearby. And then, the lazy muttering of a healing spell that was becoming quite the morning habit, just enough to brush away the last of whatever pain he'd given to Xelloss last night.

  


It was worth it for the stone-melting bliss he remembered before sleep had overtaken him, a reasonable price for having a Mazoku lover, and especially for a Mazoku who was considerate enough to have his coffee ready the morning after.

  


It took him a few more lazy minutes to remember why he felt so especially content this morning. For the first time in a month or more, he knew where he would be and what he would be doing for the next several days, or even longer, if all went well. That was an unusual luxury. Even the crackle and scrape of stone skin as he finally stretched and opened his eyes wasn't enough to disturb such a peaceful feeling.

  


Still not thoroughly awake, he yawned as he pulled on a robe and left the bedroom. Xelloss had indeed freshened the fire and had tucked his coffee pot into the corner of the coals, and he'd even set out Zelgadis' mug along with fruit and rolls that Myona brought yesterday, all ready for him on the little table next to the hearth. The mazoku was curled up on a chair near the table, with Melly's book open on his lap. He didn't look up from it, but Zelgadis' senses tingled with the feeling of being watched through hidden eyes as he shuffled across the room to pour himself a cup of coffee.

  


He hid his own gaze behind the rim of his mug, regarding Xelloss silently as the coffee and the mazoku's aura started to clear away his sleepiness. After a long sip and a sigh of satisfaction, he went over to peer at the book over Xelloss' shoulder.

  


"How is it?" he asked.

  


"Incredibly boring!" Xelloss answered cheerfully without looking up from the page. "I don't know about the original version, but this translation could give The Making of Worlds a run for the money as a sleeping spell."

  


"Does it make more sense than that, I hope?" Zelgadis asked, not really very hopeful that it would.

  


"Hm," Xelloss put his finger to his chin and thought about it for a moment. "No."

  


Zelgadis rolled his eyes. He didn't even suppose Xelloss was exaggerating. What little he could make out of the text from reading over Xelloss' shoulder didn't connect in his brain at all. Of course, the fact that he had his nose almost in Xelloss' hair didn't help; the scent of shadows and astral magic did not encourage his brain to think coherent thoughts, even in spite of the coffee.

  


"Probably the same addle-brained translator," he muttered, taking another sip.

  


"I can summarize it and save you the agony of reading it for yourself, if you like," Xelloss offered. "The great and marvelous Ameranada Asmalath, first of the Malas, set sail on his - or possibly her, the scholars have never determined even that for certain - at any rate, set sale on a glorious ship of gold to escape the destruction of the Island of Skye, and landed triumphantly some indeterminate number of days later on the point of land later to be known as Wyndcliff Point. And that's about it, really!"

  


"I suppose they use as many words as possible to say that," Zelgadis said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

  


"Of course!"

  


Xelloss leaned back and grinned up at him. For a few seconds, Zelgadis was transfixed by the sight. The dark hair fell back from Xelloss' face, the mazoku's amethyst eyes glittered and his grin promised mischief. A thought of leaning down and kissing Xelloss came into his mind, followed quickly by the notion of climbing onto his lap on that chair. He wondered if it was sturdy enough.

  


Before he could follow through on that idea, Xelloss slipped right out from under him, stood up and spun around to face him, and struck a speech-maker’s pose. With the book held out in front of him and his other hand raised, he began to recite.

  


" 'The great, gold-painted ship (footnote 1: _arorene'a,_ lit. "ship of gold;" giving rise to the popular but certainly erroneous notion that the ships were indeed literally made of gold; see pp 301-2 and p 317 note 2 for similar examples) raced (footnote 2: _norend-te,_ lit. "flew;" while previous studies have assumed the sorcerers of Skye left the island on flying ships, further cues in the text refute this theory through references to the rolling sea and to waves breaking over the decks; while examples of this kind of metaphorical verb substitution are rare in the Black Script, it is not, as some linguists have claimed, a grammatical error in this instance) across the rising sea, sailing toward the dark land ahead with the failing glow behind them (footnote 3: it is not known whether the failing glow refers to the dying fires consuming the city or if, as many scholars believe, this indicates that the ships sailed forth at sunset; see note 7 page 413 for possible reference to the ships' arrival on the mainland at dawn; unfortunately there is no other reference to the time taken for the journey or the speed the ships were able to maintain, which would possibly give some indication as to the distance traveled from the island to the mainland.) ... ' "

  


Xelloss rattled all of that off without the necessity of pausing for breath. "Fascinating, isn't it?"

  


Zelgadis only half listened to the words, too distracted by the sight of Xelloss and the sound of his voice to pay serious attention. That was beside the fact that the words themselves were ridiculous.

  


"Uh. Yes. I mean no. I mean yeah it's fascinating, as scholarly drivel goes."

  


"I expect Myona's tale will be far more entertaining, if not so academically authoritative," Xelloss said cheerfully.

  


That reminder was enough to finally yank Zelgadis' attention away from Xelloss and back to the rest of the world at hand.

  


"Oh damn, I forgot! He's here already? What time is it, anyway?" he muttered as he grabbed his robe more tightly around himself and headed back to the bedroom to get dressed. "He shouldn't have come out in this weather!"

  


"As a matter of fact, he isn't," Xelloss answered, stopping him in his tracks in the bedroom doorway.

  


Unreasonably, Zelgadis turned and glared at him. Xelloss shrugged, grinning.

  


"We didn't specifically invite him to come here, if you remember! In fact we didn't make any definite plans at all."

  


"Oh. Right." Zelgadis went over and peered out the window beside the door at the streaming gray sleet and fog. "We should get a message to him, then, so he doesn't think he has to come here. Though he does seem to love this horrible weather."

  


"True, and better he come here than go out and visit his Dream Master on the cliff, I suppose!"

  


"Yes," Zelgadis agreed with a roll of his eyes. "Though probably Kemara would rather he didn't go out at all... we could go to him instead, I guess," he added uncertainly.

  


They could, that is, if they knew were Kemara and Myona lived. For all they knew, the family of the High Priestess might have a residence within the temple grounds or anywhere else in the village.

  


"I could take a message to him," Xelloss said, coming over to join him at the window, "if we really want to cancel our storytelling date."

  


Zelgadis cringed as a gust of wind battered the door with sleet; it sounded like dozens of tiny gremlins hammering to get in. He wouldn't enjoy being out in such weather, either, but it wouldn't really do him any harm, and it certainly wouldn't bother Xelloss. He sighed.

  


"I'd hate to make him think we don't really want to hear his stories. In any case, we shouldn't disappoint the Acting High Priestess, should we?" he said.

  


"Shall we go and find him, then? And, if by chance he doesn't want to tell us his stories today after all, I can read more from Melly's wonderful book to everyone instead!"

  


Zelgadis grimaced as he went to get dressed.

  


"There's a limit to how much agony we're all willing to endure, Xelloss, even for you!"

  


He heard Xelloss giggle as, once again, he began the search for his scattered articles of clothing.

  


____________________________________

  


  


This storm was nearly as bad as the one on the night they'd spent in the woods after leaving Mystport, Zelgadis decided. If it wasn't quite as wet as that, it was only because of the ice mixed in with the rain. He looked out from one of the covered walkways and saw the village and the bay all shrouded with of swirling sheets of rain and sleet, the ocean the same steel gray as the sky except for the streaks of white-capped waves. It was no wonder the Temple sent most of its students home at this time of year if this was normal weather for the place.

  


He cursed as he wrestled with the wind for control over his cloak. Sleet pinged off his wire hair, making a musical sound which he did not appreciate. Naturally, Xelloss grinned his way through all of it. In truth, the weather was no more than an inconvenience to them. Someone as small and slim as Myona would be blown off his feet by some of these gusts of wind, Zelgadis thought. He'd be flying whether he wanted to or not.

  


A very few people scurried along the temple paths, keeping to the covered walkways as much as possible. Even the most weather-hardy types of beast folk clung to cloaks and hoods with their heads down like bulls charging against the wind. He spotted Kervan striding along almost doubled over against the wind and rain. Zelgadis sympathized; apparently the man was just desperate enough for breakfast to run to the dining hall and back. Unfortunately he was too far away across the tangle of paths for them to call out to him and ask for directions.

  


The only other familiar face they saw was Shuno, who came rambling toward them right out in the open, oblivious as ever to the biting wind and sleet and everything else except the object in his hands. This new magical gadget looked like a chimerical blend of a sextant, an abacus, and an hourglass, but it was thankfully free of any clattering jewelry. However, like his failed attempt at a replica of the Shimerian relics, this one also apparently refused to do what he expected it to do. He turned in all directions, sometimes walking backwards even as he kept moving toward them, and alternately peered through a scope mounted on the thing and checked the abacus part of it, frowning at it all the while. At one point he aimed it in their direction, but apparently it looked right through them.

  


"Not enough data, why is there not enough data?" Zelgadis heard him mutter. "Is it the weather? Atmospheric interference? Needs to clear off. This thing calibrated and tested before hallow night."

  


He went on grumbling until he nearly ran head-first into them, and would have if Zelgadis hadn't stepped aside at the last moment.

  


Zelgadis would have been perfectly happy to continue to be ignored except for the fact that they still had no idea where to find the High Priestess. Of course, there was no guarantee Shuno would know, unless he'd found some reason to make a scientific study of the subject.

  


"Good morning, Shuno-kun!" Xelloss said when he was almost past them.

  


Shuno stopped and blinked a couple of times.

  


"Oh. Hello."

  


"What's good about it?" Zelgadis muttered at Xelloss, clutching his cloak and hood around himself. He gave the young man a furious scowl as if the weather was his fault. It was wasted; Shuno was already studying his gadget again.

  


"On your way to the Dawn Pavilion?" Xelloss asked pleasantly. He glanced across the hillside in the direction of the place. "Or do they cancel the recitations on account of bad weather?"

  


Zelgadis squinted through the sleet in the same direction. As far as he could see, Shuno was heading in the wrong direction for that, but the scientist just shrugged.

  


"This isn't bad," he said. He looked around rather as if Xelloss had just woken him up in the middle of sleep walking, finally fixing his gaze on the path he would have to take to get to the Pavilion. "It's the Drowned Seas passage today."

  


"Yes, so you mentioned," Xelloss said.

  


Zelgadis rolled his eyes. Evidently even Shuno didn't listen to Shuno.

  


"Are you saying this is typical weather for this time of year?" he asked. "I thought there would only be ice or snow like this higher up in the mountains."

  


"We get snow," Shuno said. "Sometimes just ice. The cold tide stream shifts to the east this time of year. That brings storms ashore, then they get stopped by the mountains, so all the moisture gets released here. The tide stream keeps the air cold. In some years, Wyndcliff gets nearly as much snow as the high ranges of the North."

  


"You mean it gets even worse than this? Lovely!" Zelgadis said with a grimace.

  


"Something to look forward to! Maybe we'll be snowed in at our little cottage someday!" Xelloss added cheerfully.

  


That... was not such an unpleasant thought, Zelgadis decided.

  


Shuno shrugged and began to raise the bizarre instrument to his eye again.

  


"Say, Shuno-kun," Xelloss said quickly, "could you give us directions to the home of the High Priestess? I assume there's a rectory or some residence, either in or near the Temple?"

  


"Delora's house?" Shuno said vaguely. He turned and gazed down the hillside, shielding his eyes from the sleet with a hand to his brow. "It's, let's see..."

  


"We're looking for Kemara-sama, actually," Xelloss clarified.

  


"Same thing," Shuno said with another shrug. "There." He pointed toward the far corner of the temple grounds, on up the road beyond where they'd entered the Temple's main gate. "That tower on the other side of the wall. That's their house."

  


Zelgadis squinted through the icy rain. Just beyond the wall and the hedge of dark trees that marked the Temple boundary, he spotted the black peak of a narrow, conical roof.

  


"Thank you," he said gruffly to Shuno, but the boy didn't even notice. His attention was already back on his gadget as it rattled in a gust of wind.

  


"Huh," Shuno said, and continued on his way without another glance at them.

  


Xelloss and Zelgadis went on their way as well, picking out a winding path down toward the temple gate.

  


"You're going to have fun teaching that one anything," Zelgadis said with a grin after they were out of earshot.

  


Xelloss gave him a severely doubtful look and sighed, but then a sly smile slowly crossed his face. "Well, I'll just have to make as much fun of it as I can, won't I?"

  


"I'm sure you'll find your ways to do so," Zelgadis replied, but he couldn't manage to feel bad for the oblivious scientist.

  


By the time they got to the Gate, Zelgadis was thoroughly drenched and bedraggled. Apparently as a show of sympathy, Xelloss allowed himself to be drenched as well. Water dripped from his hair into his eyes and from the hem of his cloak. Zelgadis smirked when he noticed this. Xelloss pouted at him.

  


"If I were truly human, I imagine I'd be craving a hot bath and a warm drink by now," Xelloss said. He held up his arm and watched tiny ice pellets land on his sleeve.

  


"Even being only one third human, that still sounds good," Zelgadis sighed. "This chill is even getting through to my bones," he added with a shake of his shoulders.

  


"Hm," Xelloss said. His darkly glittering eyes followed the outlines of Zel's body where the damp clothes clung to him. "A hot bath and a warm chimera sounds even better! Perhaps we should have just sent our regrets and stayed home after all!"

  


"We've come this far," Zelgadis said, brushing off the suggestion in spite of the warmth it inspired. "Let's just find this tower."

  


They stepped out into the street they'd been following when they'd arrived in the village. Zelgadis noticed the change in magical atmosphere as soon as they passed through the Gate, but the weather was just as bad as it was inside.

  


\-----------

  


He knew they'd found the right house as soon as they saw it, not only because of the tower roof they'd seen earlier but because it was certainly the largest and strangest house in Wyndcliff. It was tucked back between the south wall of the Temple and the hill behind the village, facing the bay across a sloping lawn and garden.

  


It would have fit in well as an eccentric but modest home among those built by prosperous sea merchants in a larger town like Mystport, but by local standards it was a mansion. It was built of stone, tall and narrow, and in fact it seemed almost to have sprouted from the hillside in fits and starts, some four stories more or less of gable peaks and porches, chimneys and high arched windows, with the narrow tower on the southwest side rising above the rest.

  


The bay window and a porch on the first floor looked out over the village. A narrow terrace with a wrought iron rail under a tall peaked roof above would provide a fine view of the bay and the wide sea beyond, like the captain's walk on those sea merchant's homes. However the tower windows looked toward the hooked point and the southern coastline, all currently shrouded in icy mist. A curtain fluttered in one of the curved windows of the highest tower room.

  


"Aha," Zelgadis said. "Care to bet that's Myona's room?"

  


"I would be surprised it if isn't! And if so, it appears we're here in time to keep him from coming out in the storm to find us."

  


Zelgadis had barely lifted the ornate brass knocker on the front door before it opened, and the Acting High Priestess welcomed them in with a sigh of relief.

  


"Xelloss-sama, Zelgadis-san! I was just thinking to send a message to you. Please do come in, and welcome! I'm sorry Myona is late coming to you today; he's probably not even awake yet, though that's on my orders," she said, as she led them inside. "He's usually very punctual when he has to be some place, even if he grumbles about it... May I take your cloak to dry by the fire, or, well, I suppose that's not really necessary for you is it, Xelloss-sama?"

  


She stopped short in the hallway with Zelgadis' dripping cloak across her arm. "Oh! You are awake."

  


They looked past her to see Myona standing just inside a doorway further along the hall. He did indeed have the air of someone who had just awoken, or not even quite awoken yet, though he was dressed in his student's robes and his dark hair was combed into some semblance of order. He was even more pale than usual, making his eyes look huge and onyx-black as he slowly blinked at them.

  


"I'm awake," he said softly.

  


His gaze shifted to his sister, warily as it seemed to Zelgadis, especially when Kemara's frown deepened noticeably.

  


"Well, you probably shouldn't be," she scolded, "But since you are, you'd best come in and welcome our guests, hm?"

  


Myona didn't seem to mind the sharpness in her voice. He came forward slowly and bowed to the two of them.

  


"Welcome to our home, Xelloss-dono, Zelgadis-sama. It's our pleasure to serve you here."

  


"And thank you for coming all this way to save Myona the trip in the storm," Kemara added firmly, with a raised eyebrow at her brother.

  


"We've come to hear Myona's stories about the ruins," Zelgadis explained, smiling to lighten the unexplained tension he sensed. "I don't know if Myona mentioned that the Mala has invited us to do some research in his library, and Myona is welcome to come back with us, but we agreed not to go out there today because of this wretched weather."

  


Unfortunately, that information had the opposite effect.

  


"Ah! No, we hadn't spoken of that," Kemara said, with an even more pointed glance at the boy. "I'm glad to hear it, though, and glad that Myona can continue to be of service to you."

  


Myona nodded vaguely, not seeming to notice her clipped tone of voice. He tipped his head to the side and looked up at Zelgadis curiously.

  


"You want to hear my story now?" he asked with a hint of a smile. Two spots of color appeared in his pale cheeks.

  


"Yes, if that's all right?" Zelgadis said. Myona nodded again, but Zelgadis looked toward Kemara with the question. "If we didn't come at a bad time?" he added.

  


Kemara bit her lip, but after a moment she nodded.

  


"Yes, please do stay and listen to the tale. In fact it's a perfect day for storytelling, isn't it? I'll hang Zelgadis-sama's cloak to dry and bring some tea. Myona, make sure our guests are comfortable, please."

  


She hustled past Myona with a swish of robes and disappeared through another door at the far end of the hallway. Myona stood silently just inside the doorway, regarding them with the same vague smile. For a moment, Zelgadis wondered if he'd even heard what his sister had asked him to do, but then he gave them another polite bow and ushered them into a parlor.

  


It was a cozy room full of overstuffed chairs and a couple of sofas arranged for conversation, with those bay windows he'd noticed from outside that would have a fine view of the harbor on a clearer day. Every table and shelf in the room was cluttered with nick-knacks and trinkets: painted vases, lamps with fringed and beaded shades, embroidered cushions, gilded figurines and carved bone in the shapes of many kinds of creatures, ornately framed miniature paintings and cameos, candlesticks and ornamental weapons and charms. Some of the objects looked to be made by the local artisans whose carvings and weavings must be the trade of the village, but Zelgadis recognized many of the items as craft work from lands he'd visited in his far-flung travels. Either visitors to the temple were generously inclined to bring gifts for the High Priestesses, or someone in Kemara's family was more widely traveled than he would have guessed.

  


Myona gestured them to a couple of comfortable chairs by the fire, then pulled a stool over to sit with his own back toward a corner of the fireplace. The flames lent a rosy glow to one side of his face, but the other side was ghostly white as he fought back a yawn.

  


"Myona-kun," Zelgadis said quietly. "You did go directly home after you left us yesterday, didn't you?"

  


Myona blinked wide-eyed, as if coming fully awake for the first time. He bit his lip and ducked his head, and mumbled something so softly that even Zelgadis' sharp ears couldn't catch the words.

  


"Oh dear," Xelloss said. "I hope you didn't worry Kemara-sama by going out in the storm last night?"

  


With his head still bowed, most of Myona's face was hidden from view, but that odd little smile returned. It was gone when he lifted his head a moment later.

  


"I... the storm wasn't all that bad, you know, and I... there might not be another chance for... if the weather keeps on... if it gets icy, then.... "

  


Zelgadis sighed and shook his head, but he didn't say any more about it, and neither did Xelloss. It wasn't their place to scold the boy about his wandering habits.

  


"I hope that other idiot got away from there before it got this bad," Zelgadis muttered.

  


He thought he saw Myona's lip curl up a little more at the corner, but Kemara returned just then bearing a tray of cakes, along with cups and a pot of hot tea, and Myona jumped up to help her set them out for their guests. Once they were settled with tea and cakes, the boy sat quietly on his stool again with his eyes closed.

  


Silence fell, as if at an unspoken signal, and Myona opened his eyes and looked up at them -- or rather, looked past them at some unknown vision -- and began to speak in a clear, quiet, faraway voice.

  


"So it is said: there was a time when this narrow land between the sea and the mountains was teaming with life. Humans and beast-kind lived in harmony together, as they had in ages past as long as any could remember. But in time of this tale, after the long peace, monsters began to appear, summoned forth from the spirit realm by the Hellmaster to plague the peaceful countries of the world.

  


"In those dark days there were few who could wield magic, and so fear and superstition reigned. Not knowing the nature of the demons, the people of one village sought to appease them with worship and gifts, with praise and with offerings of the harvest, treasures from the sea and from the land that they tended. The demons laughed at them and thanked them for their offerings with payments of pain and death.

  


"Seeing this, the people of this place in their desperation offered up lives from among their own kind. This gift the demons accepted gladly, and demanded more of the same. So the people built an altar on which to make their gruesome offerings. This shrine to the demons became known in whispers across the land as the place where fires burned living flesh, where blood flowed like the mountain cascades into the sea, where the sound of screams rose high above the pounding of the waves.

  


"Those among the humans who knew some little magic devised spells to bind the sacrificial victims, and spells to prolong their miserable lives in torment for the demons' pleasure. Amused, well pleased and well fed with these feasts of misery, the demons spared the ones who made such offerings to them so that they could bring more.

  


"And by this, the first great spells of sorcery were created as sacrificial rituals and curses and pacts made with the demons, made out of the evil and fear in human hearts."

  


Myona paused there, his gaze unfocused and an odd, dreamy half-smile on his face. In the moment of silence, Zelgadis remembered the conversation he'd had with Xelloss on the day - not as long ago as it seemed already - when they'd arrived at Mystport. He glared at Xelloss, suddenly suspicious that the mazoku had somehow shared this unpleasant theory of the origins of magic with the boy, but Xelloss merely gave him a sidelong glance from narrowed eyes, then turned his full attention back to Myona.

  


Zelgadis relented. He couldn't really blame Xelloss for spreading the idea, he supposed. He knew well enough that humans sometimes chose to worship Lord Ruby Eye and his five Lords. It was just such a group of demon worshippers who had unfortunately gained possession of a Claire Bible manuscript that had brought them across each other's path for the first time, long before Zelgadis had any inkling of Xelloss' true nature.

  


But then, he wondered, if such a sacrificial altar had existed on the point to the south of the village that long ago, would that explain the dark aura that remained over the place more than a thousand years later? That was an unpleasant thought, for several reasons.

  


But there was more to the tale than that. Myona lowered his eyes and continued.

  


"The people of this place became raiders, riding across the mountains and sailing along the coasts in search of victims to feed their sacrificial fires. When unwilling sacrifices were scarce, they chose by lot amongst themselves. Some went proudly to their deaths, believing they gave their lives for the good of the rest, while others wailed and cursed evil fate at the hands of their own kin. Some grew hardened hearts, lacking either joy or sympathy, and others' souls became warped so that they delighted in the screams of their sacrificial victims as if they were of demon-kind themselves. Many made the offering of their own tears in guilt and shame and horror at the deeds they saw themselves perform, little aware that the demons fed on these as readily as they did on the screams of their victims.

  


"The rumor of this ever-varied feast spread among the demon-kind, and reached the ears of one Bosasillzogu, a mazoku of middle rank in the days before the great Retainers of the Five Lords were made."

  


Myona's gaze flickered to Xelloss then, dark eyes shining as if the mazoku priest was the most wonderful thing ever devised. Xelloss beamed at him, all the more brightly when Zelgadis snorted softly.

  


Myona looked away again and continued. His voice was a little stronger now; he seemed to be warmed up to his tale, pleased by the reaction of at least one member of his audience.

  


"Bosasillzogu happened upon the place at the time of a great and terrible sacrifice, when the diabolical leader of the demon worshippers had devised a gruesome game for the pleasure of the demons who fed on agony and despair. The mazoku watched with admiration and delight as the demon worshippers goaded their human victims to inflict injury upon themselves under the threat of seeing their captive kin dismembered and devoured instead.

  


" 'Pluck out your own eyes with your own two hands,' they said, 'unless you wish to see us crack their bones, rend them limb from limb and offer their beating hearts on skewers for our demon friends to feed upon!'So the captors demanded of one of their miserable victims. And then, when he had done as they asked and held his own two eyeballs dripping with his own blood in his hands, he heard them laugh. 'Now, just as we promised, you will not see us do all that we described,' they cried.

  


"And so they did exactly what they had said, and indeed, he did not see it, but he could not close his ears to the sounds of their screams, the cracking of bones, the slurping of demon tongues, the crunch of monstrous teeth devouring the flesh of his kin."

  


Zelgadis heard a gagging sound and realized had come from his own throat. He stared at Myona with his mouth hanging open, aghast at the strangely soft-voiced description of such inhuman torture.

  


"My my, Myona-kun," Xelloss said very softly, sounding quite a bit more pleasantly impressed than Zelgadis felt.

  


Zelgadis glanced across at Kemara. She gave them a crooked smile and a shrug, her lower lip caught between her teeth, as if to apologize for her brother's gruesome imagination. Myona glanced at her as well and ducked his head a little, but then went on in his strangely soft, clear voice.

  


"Engorged on such a feast of pain and horror and despair, Bosasillzogu's dark spirit swelled. Flooded with power, he roared his pleasure as the sacrificial rite reached a crescendo amid screams of pain, and the blood-spattered stones turned black under a black sky."

  


"So pleased with this offering and the power it gave to him, Bosasillzogu craved to have all of it to himself from that day onward. He guarded the humans in their raids by land and sea, and he defeated and devoured all other demons who came near the place. The kings of the nearby lands did not dare send their armies against the worshippers of Bosasillzogu, but it is said that some of them sent their prisoners in tribute to be sacrificed.

  


"The villagers built a huge shrine to honor their patron demon, and placed their blood-soaked altar in a grove of pillars of jet-black stone. Bosasillzogu grew huge on the feasts of misery they presented to him. His astral body swelled and his physical form bloated to an immense bulk that sprawled among the black pillars, and he rose like a great storm cloud to block all the light of sun and stars from the cursed village.

  


"There came a day when the influx of miasma was so rich and dark that Bosasillzogu felt as if he would burst from it. And indeed, the force of power swelling in him became too great for one being to contain. While his worshippers laughed and their victims screamed and begged for death, one of the monster's arms began to writhe of its own accord. With a sound of flesh ripping apart, soon it began to tear itself away from the bulk of the monster's body."

  


Zelgadis pressed himself back in his chair, one hand covering his face, recoiling from the image of the great, overgrown mazoku splitting apart like an overripe fruit exploding in the hot sun.

  


"Oh dear," he heard Xelloss murmur. Through his fingers he caught a glimpse of Xelloss sitting forward in his chair but with a delicate finger to his own lips. It looked like exploding mazoku was a little bit much even for his warped sensibilities.

  


That didn't make Zelgadis feel much better, especially since it seemed to encourage Myona to embellish the horrific scene even further.

  


"The severed limb flopped around Bosasillzogu, a live thing trying to walk without legs; it pulsed and bulged as if it wanted to sprout limbs of its own. With a gurgling sound, a slit opened at the end of it, revealing rows of teeth and a lolling tongue that spattered the monster-worshippers with acid saliva, and then eagerly lapped up their screams of pain. More pain, more agony, fed more power to Bosasillzogu. The bloated monster let out a great groan as another limb wiggled itself asunder. This one sprouted legs and arms and claws, huge curved claws that flailed and tore the worshippers' flesh as they fled from one monster only to be faced with another. Laughter chortled from its unseen mouth as their blood spattered it like rain from the black sky.

  


"Still another lumpen shape broke loose from Bosasillzogu, and another," Myona continued, his voice risen to a breathless rush of words. "and still more followed, bursting from their elder's squelching body as he continued to grow on each new wave of miasma, and each one swelled into a monster more hideous and deadly than the last. The writhing mass of them covered the ground, slithered around the great pillars of the shrine, fed upon the horror and despair of the helpless humans, greedily devoured even the pain of Bosasillzogu himself as they tore themselves apart from his huge, misshapen form.

  


"The great demon lurched around in a frenzy, overwhelmed by miasma from the dying rages of his worshippers, who had now become the victims of his own vicious offspring. In his flailing rage and confusion, he blasted the walls of his own shrine and trampled the bodies of his followers, unmercifully putting them out of the last of their misery."

  


The boy paused there; dark eyes wide and staring, mouth hanging open to catch his own breath.

  


Zelgadis could only stare at him, glad he'd stopped but unable to say anything, uncertain if the tale ended there or if there was more horror more yet to come. Then Myona blinked, and his gaze flickered, focusing for a moment on Xelloss, an eyebrow twitching upward. Zelgadis realized, as he glanced aside at Xelloss as well, that the storyteller was gauging the reaction of his most valued listener. Had he really set out to horrify even the mazoku?

  


He might have succeeded, or so it appeared; Xelloss peered out from behind fingers covering his face now. Ah, but he was peering aside at Zelgadis, and only partially hiding a sickened, crooked grin. Zelgadis held one hand covering his mouth and the other clutching himself around the middle, trying to quell the sick horror inspired not only by the tale but by the telling. A tale embellished to new heights of horribleness, he realized suddenly, just so one of his listeners could enjoy the misery of another.

  


They were ganging up on him. Zelgadis clenched his fist, glared at Xelloss - because, unlike the mazoku in the story, he knew this one enjoyed anger more than fear. But then he could only grimace and offer what might well be a compliment to this particular storyteller.

  


"That's _horrible_ ," he growled. Sure enough, the corner of Myona's lip twitched upward.

  


"What happened when they ran out of worshippers, I wonder?" Xelloss mused, catching Myona's eye.

  


The boy shook his head, slowly, as if in deep regret.

  


"It is not known what became of Bosasillzogu and his many offspring. His temple was decimated, his worshippers and sacrificial victims alike were trampled, squashed or devoured, or incinerated in the final explosion of his power, an explosion so great it left nothing but a crater where the village had been, a hole at the edge of the land which the sea rushed in to fill. Few survived to tell the tale, and none remembered the end of it, the final moments of the conflagration shrouded by horror too great for their minds to bear.

  


"So it is not known whether Bosasillzogu still roams the earth, or whether his offspring were some of the great influx of monsters whose presence in the world awakened the shard of the Demon Lord from its slumber a thousand years ago. It may be that the great, greedy Bosasillzogu was reduced to a shadow of his former self by the sudden birth of so many offspring. Perhaps he has been waiting, gathering strength on the astral plane, until the day he can return to the site of his ancient shrine and feed upon the fear and pain of mortal lives once more.

  


"No more this tale can tell," Myona intoned, and bowed his head and fell silent.

  


Zelgadis let out a sight of relief and didn't even bother to hide it, especially when Kemara did the same.

  


Xelloss, however, had tipped his head to the side and seemed to be listening still. A second later, Zelgadis and Kemara both gasped back in the breath of relief they'd just let go, but so did Myona, jumping half off his stool when sudden loud banging shook the house, rattling the nick-knacks and the bead-fringed lamps.

  


It took Zelgadis a moment and another breath to realize the sound was of feet pounding on the porch and hands banging on the front door, and then urgent voices called out.

  


"Kemara-sama, High Priestess-sama, come quickly please! A healer is needed! A man has fallen from the bridge!"

  


The shock that ran through the room was so sharp even Zelgadis could sense it easily, and none of them more frozen in horror than the implacable teller of horrible tales, Myona.

  


tbc

  


  



	20. A Strange Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xelloss and Zelgadis assist in a rescue operation that revives an old mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a revised version as of 10/9/2013. There are a number of details changed and editing from the previous version of this chapter.
> 
> _______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Xelloss barely had time to take in the rush of startled fear and horror before Kemara was out of her chair and on her way to the door. Zelgadis jumped up to follow her, and a moment later there was a draught of cold air from the open door and a babble of voices talking over each other, urgent and excited. He recognized Geki's voice and that of the cat-man he and Zelgadis had met when they first arrived in the village, plus others he didn't know.

 

Myona seemed to have frozen in place on his stool, and even as Xelloss noted this, the boy's emotions slammed closed to him like an iron door.

 

Curious now, Xelloss followed the others out into the hall. He assumed it was not unusual for the village residents to call on the High Priestess for healing whenever there was an accident or illness, but apparently falling from a certain bridge was something much more significant.

 

In the hall, Zelgadis stood behind Kemara, listening intently, while the cat-man and Geki talked over each other fast and frantically. Both of them pointed back down the hillside, to the southeast, toward the hooked point.

 

Before Xelloss could hear anything more enlightening, Kemara turned and dashed back toward the parlor. She grabbed a shawl from a hatstand by the door and called for Myona, who had risen from his stool and stood hovering and fidgeting in the parlor doorway.

 

"Go find Mother," she ordered. "Tell her there's been a - an accident. We're going to fetch someone and we'll bring him back here; we'll need her healing. And you are to _stay in the house._ "

 

The last words had the force of a Windy Shield, strong enough to make Myona take a step backward, and Xelloss almost did the same. The boy nodded, swallowing hard. He was as white as a ship's sail, and Xelloss realized he was not fidgeting now but trembling violently. His emotions were still muted, as seemed to be his habit whenever they were extreme, but his control over them was slipping, giving Xelloss intriguing little whiffs of inner turmoil, much greater than any he'd felt during the telling of his horrific tale.

 

In spite of whatever emotions he was struggling with, Myona turned and sped off toward the back of the house. Kemara was already out the door. She had nodded quickly in answer to Zelgadis' offer of help, and now she ran on ahead of Geki and the cat-man.

 

Xelloss followed the group down the hill through the south end of the village. A few more joined them, others watched as they passed, silently huddled in windows and doorways, until they left the shops and houses behind.

 

The ground fell in a series of drops like an ogre-sized stairway down to a level that was still several hundred feet above the tide. Here there was a narrow slice of land that joined the hooked point to the mainland. The top of it was nearly smooth rock, scoured bare by wind and sea spray, with only a thick rope strung between iron posts as a railing to mark it as a path.

 

It was hard to imagine Myona crossing this precarious bridge, considering that he could not even bear to watch another person scale a cliff and trembled with horror at the mere mention of flying. But there was another way across to the point, if it was any less precarious to slip and slide down an almost vertical slope, pick your way across a narrow bed of rocks slick with ocean spray and seaweed, and then climb back up an even steeper slope on other side. You might not be sure of getting back that way if you did, Xelloss judged that a storm's high tide would probably cover the rocks.

 

However, it was near low tide at the moment, and at the bottom of this rock ladder of a trail, three people huddled over a fourth, holding cloaks above a prone body to keep the worst of the rain and sea spray off of him. They pointed and shouted over the rumbling surf, arguing over the best way to get an injured person up the icy path. Zelgadis took a quick look at the scene below and turned to Kemara.

 

"I think it's the man we saw out there yesterday," he said, pointing back toward the cliff.

 

"Ah, so it is," Xelloss said, peering down over Zel's shoulder. "The one who didn't need rescuing - at the time."

 

Kemara frowned at that, and even more deeply when they told her what they'd seen on the way back from visiting the Mala.

 

"Myona didn't mention it?" Zelgadis asked.

 

She shook her head once, her mouth set in a grim line.

 

"No matter," Zelgadis said hastily. "For now, we just need to deal with his injuries and get him out of there. I can put up a shield while you work Recovery on him," he offered.

 

Kemara bit her lip for a second, then shook her head, without looking Zelgadis in the eye.

 

"It's best if we bring him back to the house. Mother is by far the strongest Healer in the village."

 

Zelgadis raised his eyebrows but he didn't question the Acting High Priestess.

 

"All right, I'll use Levitation to bring him up here, then. We should check his injuries first, though, to make sure it's safe to move him at all. You should save your energy for healing," he said.

 

Before he could Levitate himself down to the injured man, Xelloss impulsively stepped forward.

 

"Allow me please, Kemara-sama," he said.

 

He had no doubt that Zelgadis could bring the man up safely, but the High Priestess' distress compelled him to act in his own way. Before either of them could answer or protest, he lifted a finger. The injured man floated up from the ground.

 

"Don't jostle him - oh!" Kemara said.

 

Her voice was sharp, but she broke off when she saw that the warning wasn't necessary. Xelloss floated the man up to the level of the bridge gently and steadily, cushioned securely in the spell's energy field.

 

"I can't do healing spells, of course," he murmured, "but I can prevent any further harm, if necessary..."

 

He could, that is, if a situation warranted it, even if it was just for the effect. In this case his only excuse was his acknowledgment of Kemara's authority as the Golden Lord's priestess, but the startled reaction from Zelgadis was worth the bother of it as well.

 

"Upstaging me?" he heard Zelgadis mutter, clearly amused after watching for a minute. "Hmph."

 

The other rescuers scrambled up the path, giving each other puzzled looks, but no one objected to the unexpected help. After he'd lowered the man to the ground at Kemara's feet with a shield against the rain and sleet above him, Xelloss glanced again at the place where he'd been found. He could have fallen from the narrow bridge of land or tumbled down from either side, or, for all Xelloss knew, he could have fallen elsewhere and been washed ashore at the last high tide.

 

None of which answered the question of why he'd been out on the point in the first place, unless he'd really tried to come to the village in that little boat and had simply found himself stranded there.

 

Xelloss looked out across the point to the the ruins, a cluster of dark shadows shrouded by rain and mist. He could plainly feel the dark aura stretching out toward them from the far end of the point. It certainly didn't seem like a place that humans would willingly visit. Then again, that certainly didn't stop Myona.

 

"Oh!" Kemara said as she knelt next to the fallen man. She quickly passed her hands over him with a divining spell to check for hidden injuries. "It's that professor fellow. I didn't know he'd come back."

 

"Professor?" Zelgadis echoed. He leaned over her to get a better look.

 

"Yes, his name is Plover. He's a - ah, you know of him?" Kemara said, seeing the expression on the chimera's face.

 

"This is Professor Plover?" Zelgadis exclaimed. He dropped down to kneel next to her.

 

Xelloss studied the man more closely as well. He was drenched, disheveled and bruised, his face was stark white set off by short-cropped hair that was darkened and spiked by the rain. Other than that, there was nothing remarkable about him. The long, gray coat Xelloss had noticed yesterday was torn and caked with mud.

 

Zelgadis laughed with no humor in the sound. "He was taking the hard way around if he wanted to explore the ruins. Professor Herringull wasn't joking when she said he would get washed ashore in a storm some day," he added.

 

"He's been there before, but not recently that I know of," Kemara said while she continued to magically examine him. "He does keep coming back to the village. He's convinced he'll find evidence of the lost city here someday." She shook her head, brow furrowed with concern. "He's very smart, but not very practical."

 

"Huh. Utterly lacking in common sense would be a better description," Zelgadis observed. "Was he really out there all night? He was way over on the other side of the point when we saw him. He would have had to get all the way up to the top and be crossing back to the village before slipping and falling from the bridge."

 

"Rather ironic that he managed to crawl up the steeper, higher cliff only to fall from a less dangerous height," Xelloss observed.

 

Kemara bit her lip and said nothing to that. Zelgadis raised an eyebrow.

 

"You don't think he fell from the bridge?" he said, too quietly for the other rescuers to overhear.

 

"It might be that he did," Kemara said after a pause.

 

Zelgadis knelt next to Kemara. He passed his own hands over the man, also plumbing for internal injuries Xelloss supposed, but he paused and leaned closer. Xelloss saw what he was studying; in addition to scrapes and bruises, there was a series of odd red lines that criss-crossed his skin in places, and there were similar tears on his clothes. They looked as if they had been sliced with a very thin blade.

 

"What would make marks like that?" he wondered.

 

Kemara pursed her lips then but she said nothing. She rose to her feet and turned to Xelloss.

 

"If you would be so kind as to bring him back to the house, I would be indebted to you, Xelloss-sama."

 

"No no, don't speak of it!" Xelloss insisted, waving off her gratitude before he gestured the man into the air again.

 

She led the way back to the house, with a bedraggled, softly muttering clump of the would-be rescuers following. Xelloss saw Myona standing on the porch, and a woman standing behind him with one hand on his shoulder, the other holding the hair out of her face against the wind.

 

Xelloss knew at once that this must be the true High Priestess, Kemara's and Myona's mother. Delora was dressed in the same Temple robes of gold and black that Kemara wore, and she had the same wild wreath of hair except hers was silvery gray. She was built much the same as her daughter, with Kemara's buxom curves softened by age, but when they were closer he saw that she had Myona's large, dark, mournful eyes.

 

He found that she also had the same quiet but commanding presence as the Acting High Priestess, except that Kemara wore the aura of that high office as a cloak she put when necessary while her mother seemed to embody it.

 

Xelloss felt naturally compelled to bow to her as he brought the injured man to the door. Delora gave him a brief smile and tipped her head in turn, but clearly formal introductions would have to wait; she had a patient to attend to. She directed him to bring Plover inside and led him to a healer's room near the front parlor.

 

Xelloss set the man down gently on the bed and stepped back to join Zelgadis near the door. Delora quickly passed her hands over the unconscious man, and Xelloss leaned back a little further. The white energy of her Recovery spell was bright enough to hurt his senses.

 

As far as Xelloss could tell, Plover was not badly hurt. There were many bruises and scrapes, though not any more than would be expected if he had tumbled all the rocky way down from the higher path; there were the odd cuts, and he was soaked through and chilled, and he remained unconscious. Xelloss quietly cast a spell to dry his clothes, but that's all he could really justify doing to help. At any rate it was clear that Delora and Kemara could take care of the rest. Even Zelgadis' considerable skill at healing would likely not be needed.

 

While her mother cast Recovery, Kemara heated water and gathered herbs from the cabinets in the room. Zelgadis hovered nearby, ready to help if he could. The scrapes and bruises faded quickly, and the blush of warmth and life returned to Plover's skin.

 

The red lines also faded, but only where Delora concentrated the healing power of the spell directly on them. To Xelloss' surprise, they returned as soon as her hands moved away.

 

Zelgadis made a soft exclamation at this, but neither of them dared to interrupt the healers to question it. Kemara bit her lip and frowned, though her mother's expression barely changed as she passed her hands over them again and again. Eventually, slowly, they gave way to the healing spell.

 

Xelloss became aware of the faint storm of dark emotions emanating from the man even while he was still unconscious, and even after any physical pain would have given way to the healing energy in the hands of the High Priestesses. In fact, normally he would have been rather uncomfortable in the presence of such strong healing powers, but that effect was countered by the turmoil he sensed in Plover's spirit.

 

While Delora applied the healing magic of Recovery to Plover's injuries, Kemara had prepared a concoction of herbs filled with her own potent White Magic. She sprinkled this around the bed now, filling the air with the soothing scents of rosemary and chamomile. Zelgadis leaned forward and breathed in the scent subconsciously; the effect was powerful enough that Xelloss felt the chimera's familiar swirl of dark emotions fade noticeably.

 

Even so, as Plover began to drift toward consciousness, his distress grew in waves rather than fading. His breath had deepened under the healing magic, but now as he began to wake up, it became quick and erratic, and his limbs twitched as if he was trying to fight off wakefulness - or something else.

 

Delora continued to shower him with White Magic, murmuring soft words that encouraged him to return to the world and awaken. Plover's face twisted, wincing as if her voice stung, and his head rolled from side to side in denial of her gentle command to wake up.

 

Kemara glanced from him to her mother, biting her lip until she couldn't keep silent any longer.

 

"Mother," she pleaded softly, "Mother, be careful..."

 

Delora ignored her and continued to coax Plover to come back to the waking world. Plover obeyed with every sign of reluctance, shaking and moaning in protest, until he suddenly bolted upright with eyes wide open and with arms flailing, and screamed one long, wailing scream.

 

Xelloss took a step back and hissed softly as the burst of dark emotion slammed into his senses. Plover waved his arms wildly, trying to escape from whatever nightmare he'd awoken to. One flying fist knocked the steaming bowl of herbs from Kemara's hands.

 

Delora shook her head and continued to utter a healing incantation with a sad, gentle smile that Plover clearly could not see. Kemara ducked to pick up the bowl and threw the remaining drops of liquid at him forcefully, more like a priest performing an exorcism of demons than a gentle healer of the soul. The two priestesses tried to hold his arms still and pull him back to lie down and rest again, but terror gave him extra strength. A flailing elbow knocked Delora back against the wall. A second later she was back at his side again, still murmuring the same gently coaxing, useless words.

 

"Mother," Kemara pleaded. "You can't ... Just let him be, please!"

 

Delora shook her head again, and Kemara, with a brief cry of distress, continued to add her white magic to her mother's. It was clearly pointless. Delora's face was pale and damp with sweat from the effort of pitting her powers against the nightmare that gripped Plover's mind. Delora at one side and Kemara at the other, they wrestled to gain Plover's attention even for an instant. He threw both of them off with a shout, physically as well as mentally, and then huddled into himself, still screaming.

 

Zelgadis stepped up to the bed and clapped his hand to the man's forehead.

 

" _Sleeping_!"

 

Plover stiffened, and for a second Xelloss thought the terror that held him was strong enough to fight off even the chimera's spell. Then he flopped back onto the bed, as limp as a string of seaweed.

 

Xelloss gasped in the silence as the storm of emotions was suddenly cut off, and then caught himself. It was rude at best to have stood here enjoying the influx of negative energy, under the circumstances. All that was left was the inner turmoil of the High Priestesses, and he certainly had no business enjoying that! He dematerialized and left the room.

 

He didn't go far, though. Curiosity, if nothing else, demanded that he stay near Zelgadis and the injured man. He simply went back to the parlor. Geki and the other rescue helpers were huddled near the fire, warming their hands, sipping tea and nibbling cakes left from Myona's storytelling earlier, and sharing worried glances. Obviously they'd heard the screams from the infirmary.

 

Myona was in the parlor too. He gazed, glassy eyed, out the front bay window. He was no longer quaking with fear, but his amazing control over his emotional energy was shaky now. Xelloss sensed a nameless cloud of dark emotions seething in the boy's spirit.

 

Xelloss ignored the others and made his way through the cluttered room to Myona. He meant to move silently, but the boy turned toward him with wide, fearful eyes before he had a chance to speak.

 

"Myona-kun?" Xelloss said gently.

 

Myona blinked once and then turned away again. His fingers wandered over the rigging of a model ship on the windowsill in front of him.

 

"He'll be all right," Myona murmured, as if he thought Xelloss needed reassuring.

 

"I'm sure he will be!" Xelloss agreed cheerfully. "Your mother, the High Priestess, is one of the most powerful healers I've ever met."

 

This was not an exaggeration, even though he'd been in the presence of some very impressive wielders of White Magic before. That only made Delora's difficulty in healing the odd cuts and soothing the man's mental state more puzzling.

 

He was about to ask Myona if this had ever happened before when he recalled what Kemara said after they'd first met her brother, how he had been plagued by nightmares as a child until his grandmother told him to make friends with the monsters in his dreams. And now he spent all his time out on the point where another man had been dragged into some nightmare he could not escape.

 

"Perhaps Dream Master could help him?" he suggested.

 

Myona's jaw dropped, then he shook his head and laughed, a sharp, humorless bark of laughter that startled the cluster of rescuers by the fireplace. Myona took no notice of them.

 

" _Him_? Of course not!" he scoffed.

 

"Oh?"

 

Before he could ask why not, he heard a door open and close in the hall outside the parlor. A moment later, Kemara came in, followed by Zelgadis. She glanced over at her brother and Xelloss by the window, but went first to the group by the fireplace. Xelloss heard her speak softly but firmly to the rescue party, and a moment later, they all shuffled out the door, with many curious and concerned glances back over their shoulders.

 

Myona didn't turn but his shoulders hunched, bent over the model sailing ship. Kemara came towards him, ignoring Xelloss, and paused a few feet away.

 

"Myona," she said, with the soft command of an Acting High Priestess over the concern of an older sister.

 

Myona slowly turned to face her. His expression was almost blank when he looked up at her, which did not seem to reassure his sister in the slightest.

 

She held out her hand to him. "Please come with me, Myona," she added, more gently. "I need to talk to you."

 

"Is Mother all right?" he asked, without moving.

 

She nodded and managed to smile, almost reassuringly. "She's fine. The patient is resting for now, thanks to Zelgadis' help." She gestured with her outstretched hand. "Come and talk to me, please?"

 

After another second of hesitation, Myona took her hand and let himself be led toward the door. Kemara glanced back at Zelgadis and Xelloss.

 

"Excuse us, please. Would you mind staying? I'll be back in a few minutes."

 

Xelloss looked to Zelgadis; the chimera raised his eyebrows but shrugged.

 

"Sure, we'll be here," he answered.

 

Kemara nodded her thanks to them and left with Myona. After watching them go with a puzzled frown, Zelgadis made his way over to Xelloss.

 

"What on earth is going on here?" he asked in a hushed voice.

 

"You're asking me that? I'm as much of a stranger here as you are, Zel-san!"

  
"I'm starting to think even my life is not as strange as this place," Zelgadis said, but then he shook his head. "No, you're right. We don't know these people well enough to guess what's going on. Maybe this is nothing unusual around here."

 

He gave Xelloss a sharp, questioning look. "What about Plover, though? You must have some idea what that was all about."

 

Xelloss shook his head. "I hardly know any more than you do, I'm afraid. He was terrified, obviously, but I have no way of knowing what caused it. Mazoku can't read minds, you know!"

 

"Thank goodness for that!"

 

Zelgadis pursed his lips, gazing back in the direction of the room where Plover rested. "Did you have the impression that the healers weren't surprised when he woke up screaming? Like it was something familiar, something they expected as soon as they found him."

 

"I did think so, and yet that didn't help them know what to do about it."

 

"No, clearly it didn't," Zelgadis agreed. He shook his head and made a dismissive sound, but stopped short of calling the efforts of the High Priestesses misguided. "Did Myona have anything to say about it?"

 

"Only that his friend the Dream Master would be unlikely to help cure Professor Plover of his nightmares; he seemed quite certain of that!"

 

"Not surprising, since Dream Master isn't real... at least, I assume there's nothing more to it than a boy having an imaginary friend," he added thoughtfully.

 

"I assume the same. But a visit to the ruins might be the best way to test that assumption."

 

Zelgadis laughed shortly and grinned. "I wondered when you were going to bring that up. I'm surprised you haven't 'ported yourself out there already."

 

"Ah, well, I haven't been quite interested enough to bother until now," Xelloss said. "And now I can't go until we've spoken with the Acting High Priestess, since she asked us to stay."

 

"Good. I'm curious about it now, too, so you're not going out there without me!" He folded his arms and tipped his head to the side. "You don't think Myona's horror story is actually true, do you?"

 

Xelloss was sure Zelgadis very much wanted him to say that it wasn't. The fact was that he had no way of knowing if it was or not.

 

"I can only say that I've heard such stories before, though not the same in every detail. I've never heard the name Bosasillzogu before, but then again, I certainly don't know the name of every Mazoku who ever existed!"

 

Zelgadis shook his head, though he was clearly not surprised. "You're no help when it comes to facts, as usual!"

 

"Zel-san," Xelloss pouted. "I assure you it's no secret! I truly can't tell you what I do not know myself. For all I know, The Mala's story of his illustrious ancestor sailing here in a golden ship is the true tale in this case - though I very much doubt it."

 

Zelgadis rolled his eyes. "Well, in any case, I think it's high time we make our own visit to the mysterious ruins."

 

He glanced out the window. The rain and sleet were falling slightly less heavily than before, but the hooked cliff as well as the point north of the village were still veiled in mist.

 

"It's a lovely day for exploring!" Xelloss said cheerfully.

 

"You would say that," Zelgadis replied, shaking his head.

 

Kemara came back a minute later. This time she closed the parlor door behind herself and paused briefly before coming over to them, as if to catch her breath. Zelgadis went over to her.

 

"Are you all right, Kemara?" he asked.

 

She nodded and managed a smile, though it was far short of her usually bubbly cheer.

 

"Is your mother really all right?" he added. "She looked exhausted."

 

"She'll be fine. She pushes herself... This is the trouble with being a healer, you know; sometimes we're too impatient and forget that Nature can heal as well, if we allow it to work in its own way...."

 

"This has happened before, hasn't it?" Zelgadis said quietly.

 

Kemara nodded, then seemed to catch herself as if she hadn't meant to confirm that. She turned away and paced for a moment, ending up by the bay window before she started to speak again.

 

"People tend to blame anything odd that happens or any kind of bad luck on the ruins, you know, and any accidents or mishaps, or any bad dreams, are said to be 'from the black stones' - meaning the ruins. Of course, no one knows the true story of their origins, so maybe that's why it's so easy to blame them for anything we don't understand. There have always been stories of people getting lost near the Bridge, and there seem to be more injuries and falls near it, although Grandmother used to say that was the story people gave if they didn't want to explain how they woke up lying in the street after staying too late at the tavern."

 

She spoke quickly, not looking at either of them, then stopped short and took a breath.

 

"The only other one who certainly fell there that I know of is Myona."

 

"Ah," Xelloss said softly. "And that is when his nightmares began?" he asked, though by now it didn't really seem to be a question.

 

Kemara nodded.

 

"The injuries, we healed those, of course, but he woke up terrified. Mother... she sat with him for days, trying to calm him down. Nothing worked. He only slept when he was exhausted. He lost his voice from screaming. We couldn't do anything."

 

She twisted her hands together, her voice getting softer and smaller as she spoke.

 

"It was at least a week before he even seemed to know where he was. Gradually, after that, he came back to himself, and got better, but only as long as he was awake. That's when the nightmares really began. He hardly spoke when he was awake - we thought for a while he'd truly lost his voice - but he would never talk about what happened, how he'd come to be at the foot of the bridge. He said he didn't remember going there."

 

She turned toward the window again, one hand wrapped around herself. The fingers of her other hand fidgeted with the mast of the model ship.

 

"We didn't know what to think, really. He always played along the shore, all up and down the bay, right along the water's edge. Mother and I worried about him constantly, but Grandmother said we should let him be." She turned away from the window to face them again with a vague gesture, a wave of her hand that might have been meant to indicate something in the room or the whole house around them, or something else entirely.

 

"Well, you see, our father was a merchant ship's captain. He was lost at sea when Myona was a baby. Grandmother said it was good that Myona wasn't afraid of the waves, but it was almost as if he was defying the tide to come and sweep him away. He didn't seem to be afraid of anything, back then.

 

"And then the fall happened, and the nightmares started. He changed so much."

 

"Until your grandmother gave him the key to drive away the bad dreams," Zelgadis said.

 

She nodded. "That helped. He's still ... he never used to be so shy. He used to tell his stories to the other kids all the time, and pester the Loremasters for more tales. Not such dark stories as he tells now. Grandmother always told stories about the Mazoku, and now those are the only ones that interest him."

 

She gave Xelloss a crooked smile. Not certain if that was thanks or blame, all he could do was rub the back of his head and grin back.

 

"In all the tales he's told, he's never revealed what happened that time, unless it's hidden in another story," she went on. "But if it was something about the ruins that frightened him, I don't know why he loves to go there all the time now."

 

"As he did last night, apparently?" Xelloss added. "We did try to tell him not to, but he seemed rather displeased to see someone else there yesterday."

 

Kemara shook her head. "It's certainly not your fault, Xelloss-sama. I don't think a Holy Magic barrier would be able to keep him away from those ruins now! But I don't know why he would care so much if someone else was out there. Professor Plover has been there often enough before."

 

"He doesn't seem to think much of Professor Plover," Xelloss said. "Though he did say that he didn't know who it was on the cliff at the time."

 

Kemara twisted her hands together, shaking her head again. "Professor Plover has visited the ruins many times before, but I don't think Myona ever met him." Her brow furrowed. "That's what I wanted to ask him about. He says he didn't see the professor there last night, or anything else unusual. When I asked him why he didn't mention seeing him yesterday, he just shrugged and said it didn't matter. Actually," she said with a halfhearted smile at them, "what he said was that Dream Master wouldn't care if that man was there, so it didn't matter to him."

 

"Ah yes," Zelgadis said. "His friendly imaginary monster who keeps watch over the ruins, apparently."

 

"Something like that," Kemara admitted. "I guess it makes sense, if whatever started the nightmares had something to do with them. He says that's what keeps him safe out there even if the weather is terrible, and also that it's why no one else should go out there. They wouldn't be as safe as he is."

 

"But he doesn't know what might happen to someone else who does go there - or what already did happen, in this case?" Xelloss added.

 

"No. And he said nothing like that would happen to him there, now. He swears it's impossible, but he's still afraid. I know he is."

 

Xelloss was certain of it; Myona had been terrified from the moment they'd heard the rescuers yelling about a fall from the bridge.

 

"Those cuts that were so hard to heal," Zelgadis said thoughtfully. "Do you know what caused them? Did Myona have them as well?"

 

Kemara nodded once, quickly; Xelloss sensed her wince at the reminder.

 

"He had the same kind of marks on him. That's the strangest thing, really. We could never figure out what caused them. You saw that our healing magic hardly worked on them, but Mother could never detect any spell that would make them so hard to heal. I couldn't either, this time."

 

"Nor could I," Zelgadis confirmed. Xelloss shrugged in agreement, and Zelgadis shook his head. "If it wasn't for those marks, I'd consider it all just as likely that Myona and Plover both scared themselves with their own horror stories, or perhaps that someone played a very nasty prank on both of them. But those make it seem like there must be something else involved here."

 

Kemara grimaced, then bit her lip, staring down at her own clenched hands.

 

"I hate to think anyone from the village is capable of causing so much harm as a prank," she said quietly. "But I suppose it's possible. If it was just Professor Plover - well, I have to admit he's made himself an easy target with his careless wandering and his wild ideas! But what happened to Myona was years ago now, and I don't know why anyone would have played such a cruel trick on him back then."

 

Zelgadis looked at Xelloss. "Well, maybe we'll find out something about it when we check out the ruins ourselves."

 

"Ah," Kemara said, raising an eyebrow. "That was exactly what I was going to ask you, to be honest. I was wondering if you've been there yet, and what you thought of it. I guess I thought you both might be curious about them."

 

"We haven't gone there yet," Zelgadis said, "but I was definitely planning to."

 

"We most certainly are curious," Xelloss added. "But I will be very surprised if the ghost of Bozasillzogu is lurking there!"

 

"I certainly hope not!" Kemara said. "But no one else will go there - not by choice."

 

"And someone needs to investigate the scene of the accident," Zelgadis concluded. "We'll be glad to do it."

 

She thanked them in a rush of relief.

 

"Now I'm afraid I have tasks to attend to, especially now that Mother has a patient to watch over. Thank you both for all your help," she added, bowing to each of them with clasped hands. "Especially for listening to my little brother's stories. As strange entertainment as they may be, that means a great deal to us."

 

"You're quite welcome!" Xelloss assured her. As far as he was concerned, it had been a very entertaining story, though he wasn't sure Zelgadis would say the same.

 

"He's still welcome to come to the Mala's library with us tomorrow, if that's all right with you," Zelgadis said. "Maybe the distraction will be good for him."

 

"Thank you, Zelgadis-san, I'm sure it will be!" Kemara said.

 

They collected Zelgadis' cloak and left soon after that, with a promise that if by some chance Plover should awaken well and lucid, he would not be allowed to leave until Zelgadis had a chance to talk to him.

 

Gusts of wind still blew bursts of cold rain into their faces and trailed streamers of mist across the bay. Dark clouds had piled up against the mountains, threatening still more rain to come and an early dusk.

 

"This really is the perfect weather for exploring a haunted old ruin, isn't it!" Xelloss said cheerfully.

 

Zelgadis smirked. "Lina would call it a perfect cliche, you know."

 

"Ah, yes, but she wouldn't let that stop her, would she?"

 

"Not for a second," Zelgadis said, and set off down the hill toward the point.

 

Fairly bouncing with curiosity by now, Xelloss followed.

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

TBC! Coming up, a visit to the ruins and some lessons about the lore of lore.


	21. Across the Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xelloss and Zelgadis take a tour of the mysterious ruins and discuss mazoku feeding habits.

They Levitated across rather than try their luck on the icy, narrow Bridge. Zelgadis glanced down at the place where Plover had been found; the tide had turned and already the higher waves were spilling across the narrow strip of land. He'd overheard the rescuers talking of how he'd been spotted by a young hawk-woman with a hunter's sharp eyes from far up the hillside south of the village. It was good luck for Plover she'd noticed him, or he'd be washing back out to sea by now.

 

From the far side of the Bridge, it was easier to see how this hook-shaped rock jutting out into the ocean must once have been wider and wedge- shaped much like all the others along the coast. From the lower land near the bridge, Zelgadis could even imagine there might well have been an older village in that corner of the bay, with a kinder harbor than the steep hillside which the present village clung to.

 

Further out on the southern side of the hook, ancient sea-worn cliffs tumbled in a steep slope to meet crashing waves, but on the north side toward the village, the cliff face was shear, as if it had been sliced clean off at one blow. Within the curl of the hook, it was very much like a crater made by the kind of explosion Lina might produce if she was as careless at throwing Dragon Slaves around as the legends about her claimed. Legends aside, though, Zelgadis wasn't sure even one of Lina's full powered Dragon Slaves would have carved a hole this big in a chunk of rock so solid that even the sea had not been able to wear it away through many centuries.

 

It certainly was a perfect day to visit a haunted cliff, with a freezing mist cutting the air and wind whistling strange notes through the black rocks of the ruins, but that wasn't the only reason Zelgadis huddled in his cloak. Even if there had been a bright sun sparkling off the bay and a warm breeze, he was sure the place would still have the dreadful aura of a tomb.

 

Xelloss set off at once to explore the ruins, the tumbled black stones at the far curve of the hook, as eager as a child set loose to play in the waves on his first trip to the beach. The mazoku had bounced along all the way here, his feet hardly touching the ground even when they weren't flying, humming to himself and grinning in anticipation. Now he bent low to search the ground or gazed up at the towering stones with that look Zelgadis had become familiar with by now, as if he was sniffing the air or listening for something unheard.

 

He shouldn't need to listen very hard, Zelgadis thought. The miasma of the place was plain enough to his chimera senses, the dark aura so pervasive that even someone as oblivious as Melly or Shuno would have to notice it. As for the ruins themselves, it was hard to tell exactly what shape they would have had. The black stones were massive, but not inhumanly large or unnaturally old, in fact Zelgadis guessed they might not even be as old or as strange as the stonework of Rezo's old tower.

 

"What do you think?" he asked after a while. "Can you tell anything about what happened here?"

 

Xelloss didn't answer at once. He had stopped prowling about and stood just inside what might have been an entrance to the largest building, if the tumbled, roofless walls were any indication of what once had stood there.

 

"I'm not psychic, Zel-san," he said mildly, staring ahead into the blackest shadows under the stones. "I can see just what you can see and what I'm sure you sense as well: there was great destruction here. People died, many people, and not at all peacefully. But it happened long ago, longer than I've existed I would guess, and how it happened, I have no idea. Whether it was a ship from Skye, an exploding mazoku, or only a magical experiment gone very much awry, all I can tell you is that it certainly was not a birthday party!"

 

"There isn't much to go by, is there?" Zelgadis agreed. He edged closer to where Xelloss stood, and an odd shiver ran through him when he stepped into deeper shadow between the stones. "Still, this must be pleasant for you!"

 

Xelloss didn't answer immediately; he stared at the black stones for a moment before he spoke. 

 

"Actually it is not." He turned around, and to Zelgadis' surprise, his cheerful excitement was gone. His mouth was drawn down in a pout. "It is certainly very dark, but it is ... empty, you might say." He wrinkled his nose and went on thoughtfully. "Rather like the empty banquet hall after the feast is over. The dishes are empty, the revelers are gone; you can tell that it must have been a grand feast at the time, but there is nothing left to feed upon. Only the lingering scent of the marvelous dishes left to entice you! Quite... disappointing." 

 

Zelgadis stared at him with his mouth hanging open for a moment, then almost laughed out loud. Almost, but not quite, because Xelloss' soft voice was not making a joke of it, and also because he was more relieved than amused. The whole place radiated misery and dread, made his heart pound and made his stone skin try to crawl with a sense of unknown horror. But if Xelloss didn't find anything to be excited about out here, that growing sense of evil lurking just behind every fallen stone must be nothing more than his mortal imagination. 

 

Knowing that made it far easier ignore the shadows--and the images from Myona's story still vivid in his mind--so he could concentrate on his surroundings. That probably made it even more disappointing for Xelloss, he supposed, but for once he wasn't concerned about providing the mazoku with a convenient snack. He turned his attention to a serious study of the ruins. 

 

He half expected to see inscriptions in the ancient language chiseled into the stones, but there were no marks on them at all, not even lichen or the polishing striations of wind and sand. That was the only visibly strange thing about them, except the wonder of how they were brought here and assembled, way out on a high, narrow point of land far from any quarry. There were parts of walls remaining that didn't seem to connect in any obvious way, no roof at all but some leaning stones that might once have been lintel stones - or gigantic altar stones, perhaps.

 

He followed Xelloss through the ruins until eventually they stood at the very edge of the cliff in the inner curve of the hook, and looked down at the strangely calm sea directly below. In spite of the churning cauldron the storm had stirred up in the bay, only mild, lazy waves lapped at the fallen stones. Plover's little boat was gone, probably nudged free of the rocks by last night's high tide.

  
"Whatever all this was, most of it is down there," Zelgadis observed, and Xelloss hummed in agreement. Zelgadis gazed around the inner circle of the hook, and the sheer drop in front of their feet. "I suppose there could have been a sorcery laboratory deep in the rock," he said, without much conviction. Again, Xelloss made a noncommittal sound. Zelgadis sighed. "It could have been a sorcerer's mansion. Or some kind of shrine or temple. Or..."

 

"A landing place for the great golden ships from Skye!" Xelloss sang out, flinging his arm wide.

 

"Sure," Zelgadis huffed, looking up at the lowering clouds, "If they'd flown across the ocean and literally descended from the sky!"

 

"Great flying ships crossing the sea! That would be marvelous magic, indeed, if it could be rediscovered!"

 

It would indeed be just the kind of great lost magic he'd love to find, but nothing here gave him much hope of that.

 

"Now you're just teasing again," Zelgadis grumbled.

 

But the truth was, even if there was evidence of the lost city under the waves of Wyndcliff bay, that alone didn't really interest him as much as the knowledge from Skye that might yet be hidden in the library of the Asmalaths, or even at the Temple of the Golden Lord. Perhaps Professor Plover would like to explore the underwater ruins, and Zelgadis made a half joking mental promise to take the man down there inside an air barrier sometime and let him explore to his heart's content, if he would just manage to recover his wits someday. That was the real purpose of this visit, he reminded himself, besides curiosity: Kemara's hope that they might find something that would help Plover.

 

That seemed not much more likely than finding evidence of ships from Skye, now. They started back toward the mainland along the edge of the cliff, finding the faint path that Zelgadis thought he'd spotted on their first glimpse of the point several days ago. They also found the place where Plover must have climbed up after they spotted him, the tiny path along a ledge not much wider than a footprint which he must have found. But there were no tracks left on the bare stone and sparse, dry grass at the top of the cliff, nothing to show that either Plover or Myona had been there last night. Any sign there might have been of them, or of anyone else, had all been swept clean by the wind.

 

"And of course, no sign of Dream Master," Xelloss said cheerfully.

 

Zelgadis grunted. "As if there would be," he said.

 

"I suppose it wouldn't speak to us even if there were such a being," Xelloss pointed out.

 

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't really think there is, do you?"

 

"No, not really," Xelloss admitted. "No more than there is a real Demon Lord Zoamelgustar."

 

He glanced around again, peering into the shadows of the black stones. Ragged tendrils of sea mist slithered through the ruins like lazy ghosts. Half opened amethyst eyes gazed for a moment into unseen distance.

 

"I don't sense any other presence here but ours at the moment, at any rate," he said, turning back to Zelgadis.

 

There was that note of disappointment in his voice again. Zelgadis chuckled this time. He couldn't feel much sympathy for the mazoku's thwarted expectations of a juicy feast of horror. 

 

"Now you know how I feel when I blast my way into a magical library only to find it's full of nothing but cookbooks!" 

 

Xelloss pouted at him, which did not make him one bit more sympathetic. 

 

There was nothing else to see here, Zelgadis decided. They hadn't really discovered anything except the one thing that was obvious, even from a distance: something had once come to a very bad end here. 

 

With a final shrug, he turned away from the black stones and led the way back to the Bridge. Xelloss sighed faintly one final time and followed.

 

"So it's really only appetizing to you if there are humans to experience the horror, even in an atmosphere like that?" Zelgadis said as they started back up the road from the Bridge. 

 

"Well, yes," Xelloss admitted, "an aura like that is appealing on its own, but not really satisfying! Of course, that's just the problem with a place like those ruins. People do tend to stay away from something that carries such a dark aura. It all goes to waste!" 

 

He grinned, watching Zelgadis out of the corner of his eye as they trudged back up the winding village streets. Zelgadis wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

 

"Then is it also true, as it is for humans, that the more powerful the mazoku is and the greater magical capacity he has, the fiercer the appetite? In the same way that high-powered sorcerers like Lina are nearly insatiable?"

 

"What a thing to say, Zel-san! You're comparing my appetite to Lina's gluttony? I should be quite insulted! But, I suppose it's true in the sense that I can't get enough of your lovely dark emotions!" The mazoku's lip curled upward even more suggestively. "But I have very discerning tastes, you know!"

 

"Huh. Only the best of my rage and misery is good enough for you, hm?" Zelgadis smirked. "But we already tested that theory; it's clear that you prefer anger over anxiety, just as Myona said. Do all mazoku have such definite preferences?"

 

"Well, I hadn't really thought about it like that, but I guess we do have our favorites, now that you mention it."

 

He put his finger to his chin and pondered this for a moment while they slogged along the muddy streets.

 

"Perhaps our tastes develop along with our purpose," he said thoughtfully. "For example, the puppetmaster that you met at Almay Tower."

 

Zelgadis cringed. "Please don't remind me of that!"

 

"Ah, but that's my point exactly!" Xelloss said, wagging a finger at him. "The Puppetmaster had that distinctive delight in humiliating humans! Practical, really, for putting them at a disadvantage, getting them off their guard until she was ready to kill them. But also, now that you mention it, she very likely did it for the flavor of emotion that she enjoyed the most!"

 

"Which you did not mind contributing to, as I remember," Zelgadis pointed out.

 

"Hm, well, perhaps that emotion is something of a treat for me as well - and so easy to inspire in some cases! Not one I need to cook up on my own, though; Lina is perfectly useful for that!"

 

Zelgadis glared at him, but he couldn't really argue on that point. "I'd say it's one of your favorite flavors," he grumbled.

 

He was still thinking about this when they rounded a bend in the street and came in sight of Kemara's house.

 

"Gaav and his followers seemed to love the rage and pain of humans in battle," he said. He remembered other encounters with mazoku; some seemed more intent on dragging out a fight and torturing their enemies rather than using more expedient methods of killing them. Practical as well as pleasant for them, he supposed.

 

"Sadistic by necessity," he muttered.

 

"You could say that!" Xelloss agreed cheerily. It looked like he was still thinking this over as well. "With the lower ranks, their only real purpose is fighting and destroying, so they don't much care what they feed on. Basic rage and pain will do for them."

 

"Ah, so you're saying that as a higher ranking mazoku, you are more of a connoisseur in human emotions?" Zelgadis teased.

 

"Exactly! And," he added. "I'm always interested in trying out new recipes to cook up my favorite meals, as you know!"

 

He leaned toward Zelgadis, eyes glittering under his bangs, and Zelgadis sensed a flutter of astral energy, like a cool fingertip trailing shivers across bare skin. That was all the suggestion it took to trigger the familiar flushed mix of desire, shame, and irritation. Of course, the sensible thing to do would be to hold back his emotions entirely and deprive Xelloss of the pleasure, but that would mean depriving himself of certain pleasures that Xelloss provided in return. He let Xelloss have a taste of it, and then, with a smirk, turned away.

 

"Now who's teasing," Xelloss murmured. "You're getting far too clever at that kind of thing, Zel-san!"

 

Zelgadis smiled to himself and chose not to point out that it was only because Xelloss was getting so predictable. 

 

"The problem is that I'm learning more about mazoku than I ever wanted to," he complained instead. "Perhaps I really should write a book," he added. He raised an eyebrow at Xelloss. "Wouldn't the Followers of Shimer enjoy that! I'm sure the Sorcerer's Guild would ban it, if I told all I've learned, or simply discredit it as fantasy."

 

"They probably would," Xelloss agreed. "Which would be all for the better. Especially for you, my dear, inquisitive chimera!"

 

"Ah yes." Zelgadis nodded. "Of course, you would get new orders to burn all copies of it if I did, wouldn't you - because it's a secret?"

 

"Ex-Zact-Ly!" Xelloss singsonged with a waving finger and his most ridiculous grin.

 

Zelgadis huffed, as much amused as irritated, but he decided he might take the warning to heart just the same. He certainly wasn't about to do a survey of the dining preferences of other mazoku, anyway.

 

Xelloss tipped his head back to look up at something up past Zelgadis' head, and Zelgadis turned to follow his gaze. A shadow moved behind the curtain in the high tower window of Kemara's house. 

 

"Do you suppose Dream Master will mind that we visited the ruins?" he mused. 

 

"I hope not," Xelloss said. "But I suppose we'll find out tomorrow by whether Myona-chan decides to return to the library with us or not."

 

"In the meantime," Zelgadis said, starting up the path to the house, "we might as well tell Kemara what we discovered. Which is nothing useful." 

 

Kemara must have been watching for their return; she opened the door to them before Zelgadis had a chance to knock. They only spoke briefly in the front hallway; Kemara quickly told them that Delora was resting in a room just inside, next to Plover's room. Besides that, Zelgadis noted with a little surprise that Kemara already had company. The dark haired loremaster, Nigel, nodded to them solemnly from the parlor doorway. 

 

He and Xelloss quietly told her what little they'd seen at the ruins. She was not surprised that they'd found little to report, no reason for Plover's terror and no clue about his strange injuries. And no idea why Myona should love going out there so much, Zelgadis thought as she thanked them for looking anyway. Then he remembered what Xelloss had said about most people avoiding such a place. That made it one place a boy could go and be sure of being left alone, he guessed. 

 

Plover was sleeping deeply and, for the moment, peacefully, as far as Kemara could tell. 

 

"That's probably the best we can hope for, for a while," she admitted. She smiled, but her usually sparkling eyes were as sad as Myona's and their mother's dark eyes. 

 

A cloudy, early dusk was falling when they left Kemara's house. The wind had died down but the air had grown colder. Off to the southwest, over the dark ocean, there were a few breaks in the clouds. Shafts of pale gold streamed through, sharp as sword blades against the darkening clouds.

 

They paused when they reached the Gate and looked out over the village. Across the bay, dark curtains of rain slanted from the clouds to shadowy ocean. The scent of wood smoke and dead leaves and the cold ocean filled the air. The hooked point and the jagged outline of the ruins stood out as a darker shadow against the dark horizon.

 

"Sun, rain, light and shadow all at once," Xelloss said musingly. "Shining like gold on a sea of darkness!"

 

He stood framed by the gateway in Zelgadis' view, the carved and painted riot of creatures seeming to circle around the mazoku as he gazed out at the weather. The disappointment he'd displayed out among the ruins was gone, and he smiled serenely at the bleak view.

 

The casual reference to The Lord of Nightmares should have been more horrifying and chilling than anything else he'd seen or heard today, Zelgadis thought, because no matter what the people of the temple said of it - of Her - that terrible Being was still the embodiment of utter chaos, the obliteration of all things which the mazoku strove for, and Xelloss' own ultimate goal. Right at that moment, though, this glimpse of Chaos itself seemed strangely beautiful.

 

Xelloss turned to him. "Does the offer of a hot bath still stand?" he asked with a suggestively raised eyebrow.

 

Chaos could wait; if Xelloss had a different agenda at the moment, Zelgadis was certainly not going to argue.

 

"You have to ask?" he answered, and followed the smiling mazoku through the Gate.

 

 

They made their way back to the cottages by way of the dining hall. A few students were just beginning to trickle in from whatever classes or recitations they'd had today, but thankfully, Shuno wasn't among them and the inquisitive Loremasters had not yet arrived. Zelgadis was also relieved to find that he and Xelloss were much less watched and whispered about than they had been, already familiar faces to the Temple residents, and less interesting than the weather or the news of another victim of the bridge and the black stones. He opted for take out again, just the same.

 

They were not the only ones getting dinner to go. Halfway back to the cottages, they met Kervan and Marcus, each carrying an empty hamper like the one the cooks had filled for Zelgadis. From the conversation they were having when they came into view, it was clear that they hadn't heard about Plover's accidental arrival yet, and it was also clear why: they'd been too busy reading _The Princess of Fate_ all afternoon.

 

"But she can't have it right, can she?" Marcus was saying insistently to Kervan when they came in view. "That whole idea of Hellmaster actually luring the Sorcerer to the confrontation? Why would he do that? I mean, if he just wanted to get rid of her, why go to all that extra trouble?"

 

"Because," Kervan began, but he was looking right at Zelgadis and Xelloss with a raised eyebrow as they walked toward each other on the walkway. "There was something else Hellmaster wanted - wasn't there?"

 

"What? What do you mean?" Marcus asked. "What else? What's he talking about?"

 

The last question was also directed at the two of them who had lived the story. They slowed to a halt, and Zelgadis looked to Xelloss uncertainly. Since he had hadn't yet read the book himself (and hoped he'd never have to), he realized he didn't know how to answer that question. He had no idea how Martina would have described the confrontation that was to follow in the story. He still wasn't sure he understood all of it himself.

 

Xelloss returned Kervan's gaze but didn't answer his question. Zelgadis had a feeling Kervan didn't really expected him to.

 

"Does she get the rest of it right?" Kervan asked instead. "The real reason?"

 

Xelloss tipped his head, hiding his eyes but not his smile. "Martina-san? She did, actually, more or less," he replied. "That is, more than she probably realized, but less than she probably thinks she did!"

 

"I see," Kervan said. He nodded, with an odd, grim smile at both of them. " _Truth is only recognized by those who know the truth_ , as they say around here," he adds.

 

"How appropriately enigmatic!" Xelloss said.

 

"What does that mean?" Marcus demanded. His gaze twitched between the two of them as if they were passing a morsel of something back and forth between them, something that might be either delicious or explosive.

 

"It means you wouldn't understand, but that's nothing unusual," Kervan said dismissively. He started walking toward the dining hall again.

 

The dig at Marcus didn't seem to be anything unusual either, Zelgadis noticed, or at least, nothing that bothered Marcus. He just kept on badgering Kervan as they walked away.

 

"Oh, well that's fine, so I suppose you think you understand it all, do you?"

 

"I suppose I might, yes. At least, to a point."

 

"Then you don't need to read the rest, right?" Marcus hopped around in front of Kervan, blocking the narrow walkway. "Give it to me, then! I'd like to finish it tonight. You left us on a cliffhanger, you know!"

 

"It's not a cliff, it's a nearly bottomless pit."

 

"Pit, cliff, whatever! There's a Hellmaster at the bottom of it. I just need to know what happens next!"

 

"I wouldn't advise reading the rest tonight," Kervan said, brushing past him and walking on.

 

"Why not? Wait - already read it all, didn't you? That's cheating!"

 

"I did not. I simply made an... educated guess as to what happens next. If I'm not mistaken, reading it will likely keep you awake all night. Possibly for the next several nights, in fact."

 

"There's not that much of it left, I don't read that slowly!" Marcus said indignantly.

 

"That's not what I meant."

 

"Then why would it keep me up all night? I mean, there's a happy ending, right? Bad guy goes boom, Beautiful Sorcery genius wins, princess gets the guy - right?"

 

Kervan didn't answer.

 

"Now you're just trying to make me nervous!" Marcus said. "We know Hellmaster is gone, so how bad could it be?"

  
Kervan paused and glanced around, and seemed to judge that no one was near enough to overhear, or that it didn't matter if they did. Zelgadis and Xelloss had reached the hedge boundary of the cottages, but Zelgadis was just curious enough to strain his ears to hear what Kervan had to say. Had he really guessed Hellmaster's goal in baiting Lina, or the real result of it? How much did he understand of it all? Zelgadis couldn't help wondering.

 

But what he heard indicated something else entirely than what he was expecting.

 

"I think," Kervan said, his voice so low that Zelgadis could barely hear it, "that there might be something much more _interesting_ than this book that can keep you up all night. How's that for an answer?"

 

"That's not an answer, that doesn't even... oh wait. _Well_. " Marcus' voice dropped to a much lower tone as well. "Well then. If you put it that way, they can just stay in that old pit as long as you like. I don't mind!"

 

"I thought you wouldn't."

 

It took Zelgadis a moment longer than it had taken Marcus to realize what Kervan must be suggesting, and why his voice was not merely quieter but distinctly... seductive. And then he sincerely regretted listening in on them. Especially since it involved Marcus. The former Deputy Shrine Keeper being seduced was something he really did not care to imagine. 

 

Feeling his face grow red, he hurried on toward the cottage.

 

Xelloss was already at the door. He stopped just inside; Zelgadis slipped past him with his basket of dinner, hoping Xelloss hadn't overheard as well. 

 

"Hm," Xelloss said thoughtfully, fingertip tapping his chin as he closed the door behind them. "What could be a more interesting reason to stay up all night than reading a marvelous story, hm?" 

 

Zelgadis winced. He set the basket on the table and flicked a quick spell to renew the fire in the hearth, and firmly shoved all thoughts of what Kervan and Marcus might do in the privacy of their own cottage out of his mind. Then he turned to the mazoku and shook his head. 

  
"It's not nice to eavesdrop, Xelloss!" he scolded. Then he raised an eyebrow. "But if you really don't know, I'm sure that after supper, between the two of us we can come up with ... _something_ more interesting than reading!"

 

Xelloss didn't bother to pretend he had no idea what Zelgadis meant. 

 

"Ah, well, I don't mind having a late dinner, in that case," he said, and licked his lips in a way that made a shiver crackle up Zelgadis' stony spine.

 

But first, Zelgadis decided firmly, he wanted supper and a moment to collect his thoughts about everything he'd seen and heard that day, about the ruins and the various stories about them, and the mysterious accidents. There had to be a connection, and there must be some clue to the truth of the ruins, but he couldn't see any of it yet. 

 

Xelloss settled back on his chair by the fire while Zelgadis set out his own dinner and pulled out paper and pen. Seeing that Zelgadis was serious about supper first, not to mention a bit of study, Xelloss pouted. But he didn't interfere.

 

Zelgadis was definitely still looking forward to that hot bath he'd promised to indulge Xelloss in - with his view of Xelloss silhouetted by the firelight, he certainly wasn't likely to forget it - and he let the mazoku know it with a brief flicker of anticipation. Xelloss' mouth twitched, the curl of his lip more suggestive than any soft-spoken words could be. But he was also determined to capture the thoughts chasing themselves around in his head before he let the seductive mazoku start doing things that would drive all intelligence out of his mind for the rest of the night. 

 

He turned his attention to his notebook, and Xelloss sighed as the feeling slipped away. 

 

* * *

 

 

tbc. Coming up: Zelgadis has a bad dream and Xelloss makes it so very much worse.

 

 

 


	22. Bad Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xelloss has a strange night, an amusing morning, and then a rough first day as Xelloss-sensei, Professor of Lost Languages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Overall rating: adult. Nothing to rate or warn for in this chapter (except language... sort of)
> 
> AN: I feel like I should apologize for this chapter in advance. *shifty look*

Xelloss remained by the fireplace, watching the flames and listening to the rustle and scratch of pen on paper, punctuated by sounds of Zelgadis absentmindedly finishing off fish stew and steamed kale the kitchen had provided. When Zelgadis pulled Melly's ancestor's journal over and started leafing through it with a determined sort of sigh, Xelloss thought it might be high time he distracted the studious chimera before he got too far involved in his studies. 

However, it wouldn't do to interrupt such a session of thought and study just yet. If he started something more "interesting" before Zelgadis had had his full thinking session, it was just as likely that some random idea would bubble to the surface of his mind, demanding to be talked out or written down at the most inappropriate moment. It had happened once or twice before, and today, he supposed, Zelgadis had quite a lot to think about. 

On the other hand, Xelloss had ended up with not very much to think about at all. There was clearly no threat in the old ruins -- non to his race and none to Zelgadis, which was all he really needed to know -- and nothing much else of interest to him in those old ruins. Horror clung to the black stones but there was no power in them aside from the power to terrify mortals. Now that he knew that, they were nothing but a curiosity to him. He'd been asked by the Acting High Priestess of the Golden Lord to help discover what force or being could have attacked and terrorized a stranger to the village, so he felt the pull of duty to attend to the question, but he really had no idea what it might be or where else to look for the answer. He was only a stranger here himself, after all. 

So, as far as he could see, there was little for him to do now except, once again, to watch Zelgadis go about his own business. At the moment, that business had turned to busily writing away in the tattered notebook he always carried, and then to leafing through Melly's ancestor's translated journal with a grimace of determined resignation, as though it was an unpleasant tasting medicine he knew he had to swallow. 

Eventually Zelgadis pushed his supper dishes out of the way, but he was not done pondering yet. The plain wooden chair creaked and cracked and wobbled, clearly not built for a stone-bodied chimera's extra weight, so he gathered paper and notebook, pen, his cup of tea, and Melly's ridiculous book, and went in to spread his study session out on the bed instead. 

Xelloss didn't follow. He watched the chimera quietly through the bedroom door, hiding his gaze behind his bangs and half-closed eyelids and firelight shadow. Zelgadis frowned, gazed at the book, and tapped the tip of the pen against a stone on his chin. Xelloss guessed he must be trying to string together the questions and speculations that had accumulated in his mind about Wyndcliff and its mysterious ruins, especially since Plover's rescue, but what the chimera muttered next baffled him. 

"He likes books, doesn't he."

This puzzling statement was followed by a grin that was surprisingly sly and devilish. Xelloss couldn't imagine what thought could be so intriguingly naughty that had to do with liking books (and not with him).

"D'you think there's a temple rule against writing down lore?" Zelgadis mused aloud.

The question seemed only vaguely directed at him. Nevertheless, Xelloss decided to take this as an invitation, though perhaps not the kind he might prefer from his chimera lounging on a bed. It was enough of an excuse to leave the fireside and wander in to stand next to the bed, where at least he had a better view. 

Zelgadis leaned back against a stack of pillows, with pens and sheets of paper spread out around him, one knee bent up as a prop for his notebook, and Melly's ancestor's book laid open on his other leg. Not a particularly seductive pose, Xelloss supposed, but that shouldn't have stopped him from diving upon the chimera and thoroughly distracting him from whatever he was puzzling over now. 

He was not sure why he didn't. Instead, he tilted his head to the side and gave serious consideration to the question. It was true, he remembered, that they were in a place that held the oral tradition above all, and looked on the written word with suspicion.

"I suppose there might be," he answered finally, "since they keep books locked up with spells and secret passwords! But they do also train scribes, and we were told that Marcus could provide transcripts of any passages you might wish to read, so I suppose simply making the markings on paper that correspond to a given piece of lore would not... ah, but you're not talking about official temple lore, are you, Zel-san?"

It had finally occurred to him how Zelgadis' thoughts had led him from the ruins on the point back to Myona's story, and further back to the day before and the boy's fascination with old books in the Library of the Asmalaths.

"Books and scrolls are ephemeral enough as it is," Zelgadis said, taking on the lecturing tone of a Loremaster, "but oral tales are more fragile and fleeting than a moth in an autumn wind! It wouldn't be right to let such a..." he paused and grimaced, "... such an elaborate tale only live and die with its storyteller, would it?" 

"Are you practicing a speech for the Temple Loremasters just in case there is such a rule?" Xelloss asked. "You don't need to convince me! I very much doubt the Golden Lord has anything against the writing of books. As I've said before, the accumulated written words of human knowledge are as fine a source of chaos as any demon's scheme!"

He sat down and sidled in next to Zelgadis on the bed, and peeked over his shoulder at the open journal page. There were only a few terse lines with question marks at the end. As he'd guessed, Zelgadis had been trying to marshal his thoughts about the ruins and the attack on Plover into some kind of revelation, but without success. The last line, however, was simply "Myona's story???"

Xelloss wondered if Zelgadis thought some part of that tale might be relevant to Plover's condition. He didn't see how it could be, but he couldn't disagree that there was no answer to the matter, not in plain sight, anyway. 

Zelgadis turned over to a blank page and freshened his pen, and after a moment's pause and a mighty frown of concentration, he began to write. This time, instead of scattered notes, the words came out of his pen onto the page in flowing lines. They were mostly Myona's words just as Xelloss remembered hearing them hours before, with an occasional embellishment from the chimera's own imagination. 

Silently, Xelloss sat next to Zelgadis and watched the tale unfold again, silently onto the page this time. It was intriguing; Zelgadis' emotions were a quiet, steady hum, with an odd sort of anticipation in them, as if he was intent on solving a puzzle. Xelloss closed his eyes after awhile and let the subtle shifts of emotions drift across his senses. 

He did indeed have rather peculiar and very particular tastes for a mazoku, now that he thought about it. 

He paid no attention to the passing of time while Zelgadis wrote and he did nothing but sit next to him and sense him in like this. When the initial rush of excitement began to fade, he barely noticed. Eventually he realized that it had become too faint for him to recognize the distinctive flavors of emotion any longer, just as the fire had faded to embers in the cottage hearth and the pen had stopped moving in the chimera's hand.

Zelgadis had fallen asleep, pen in hand resting on the page. 

Xelloss frowned. How late had it become while he was just sitting here? Much later than he'd thought. Through the haze of the magical aura around the Temple, he sensed that very few people were still awake anywhere nearby.

That didn't mean it was too late for that bath he and Zelgadis had been talking about all day. He grinned at the thought of awakening the chimera to an assault of lovely physical stimulation, and the bath and other more interesting activities that might follow. That was certainly the course their evenings had taken ever since they'd left Seyroon, and several mornings and afternoons as well. 

He released just a little bit of astral power in his fingertips, the kind of power he knew would be felt as heat to stone skin, and left fine trails of soft fire across Zelgadis' cheek, under his chin and down his throat, and back up to warm his parted lips. At the same time he shifted on the bed so that more of his weight pressed against the chimera's body, and shifted his leg to rub sensually against Zelgadis' thigh.

The chimeras' breath deepened, a sigh warming Xelloss' fingers. Zelgadis stretched a little, turned toward him, tucked his head onto Xelloss' shoulder, pressed his face into the crook of Xelloss' neck... and settled there, relaxing against him with an even deeper, sleepier sigh. 

It took Xelloss a few more seconds to realize that he was being... cuddled. Far from awakening into arousal, Zelgadis had gone even further into sleep, deeply relaxed and utterly content. Xelloss had to peer awkwardly down his nose to see the silver-haired head resting so snugly against him, but for some strange reason, he couldn't bring himself to dislodge it. 

It certainly would not be the first time he'd awakened Zelgadis to some unexpected stimulation. In fact, the sensual side of their relationship had begun in this very way on the journey to Shimer's shrine - waking the chimera with a kiss one morning and then, on another memorable night in an inn, doing so much more than that - although, at the time, he could tell himself what Zelgadis had believed, that he was only doing it to arouse the most negative emotions. That charade had not lasted long, not in his own mind at least. It had taken him some time longer to convince Zelgadis that he desired the sensual contact for its own sake. 

So, waking Zelgadis up this way was hardly a surprise anymore, and definitely not unwelcome. Maybe that was why, this time, Xelloss did nothing of the sort at all. 

It was strange enough that he'd resisted chimerical temptation this morning after he'd noticed Zelgadis casting a healing spell on himself - a level of concern for a mortal's well-being that he couldn't really justify even by the most liberal interpretation of his orders. It must certainly be even more strange to set his own desires aside like this for his chimera's comfort, he thought. It really should be even less satisfying than the empty darkness of the ruins, but it felt more like a selfish indulgence to just shift a little more so that Zelgadis could rest more comfortably against him. 

He might have to make it up to Zelgadis later for standing him up, so to speak. For now, however odd it might be, letting Zelgadis sleep was the only task Xelloss needed or wished to do.

\----

By the time gray daylight filtered through the curtains in the cottage windows, Zelgadis had slid down until he slept with his head resting on Xelloss' thigh, and he had begun to dream. 

It didn't seem to be one of his usual nightmares, dreams that always seemed to Xelloss to involve breathless running and as much rage as terror, and that sometimes had the chimera whimpering Rezo's name in his sleep. This dream seemed to hold him frozen in its grip, groaning softly and emanating waves of horror and disgust. 

For a moment, Xelloss wondered if Zelgadis had somehow contracted the nightmare like a contagion from visiting the black stones. He pressed his palm over the chimera's forehead, watching his brows twitch and nostrils flare as he tried to gather breath to run, or fight, or scream, somewhere inside the dream. The touch didn't wake or soothe him. Xelloss leaned closer to whisper his name and coax him awake. 

Before he'd spoken, Zelgadis woke up suddenly, eyes flying wide open and breath stuttering as his mind slammed back up into the waking world. 

"Xelloss!" he cried out, and went stiff.

In the flare-up of dream-induced emotions, Xelloss couldn't tell if that shout was one of anger or fear, accusation or relief. He backed off just a little, at least giving Zelgadis room to breathe. He could fairly hear the chimera's heart racing. 

"I was wondering if I should awaken you from your nightmare, Zel-san," he offered in as mild a voice as he could manage. "You seemed almost on the verge of going wherever our friend, professor Plover, has gone!"

An exaggeration, he hoped. Zelgadis might not even have heard him, for all he could tell, or at least, not register what he'd actually said. He was too busy catching his breath and bringing himself up to speed on reality.

"You do that every morning, don't you?" he grumbled finally. "I should have guessed. You must love my bad dreams!"

Accused of something so close to the truth, Xelloss recoiled a little and pressed his lips into a pout. 

"Just as I've said so many times, Zel-san, you humans manage to create a great deal of delicious fear and rage and other dark emotions out of absolutely nothing at all! I can hardly help it if I notice such things, can I?"

"Huh," Zelgadis snorted, a snort of dark laughter. "Of course not. You are a mazoku, after all, as you are also fond of pointing out."

"Well, I am," Xelloss said, ratcheting that pout up to an even greater level of woebegone. 

Zelgadis took a deep breath and visibly willed his emotions to settle. Xelloss was on the verge of asking, for once, what he was dreaming about that was so heart-poundingly terrifying when Zelgadis shuddered. 

"Zel-san?" he asked instead. 

Zelgadis shook his head, either trying to clear it or refusing the question in Xelloss' voice, but then he asked a question of his own.

"That... that thing. That mazoku in the story. The way it... sprouted...."

Xelloss moved back a little more, quirking an eyebrow. "You were dreaming about that?" 

"It wouldn't really happen like that, would it?" 

Suddenly Xelloss comprehended how the words Zelgadis committed to paper last night grew into unsettling images in his dreaming mind. He might have to thank Myona all over again. 

"Hm, like what, exactly?" he asked innocently. Fortunately Zelgadis winced just then and so missed seeing his mouth twitch, hiding a grin.

"A mazoku getting all bloated up with negative emotions and just, just..." Zelgadis hunched up and shuddered, and the wiry hair of his long bangs flopped stiffly as he shook his head. "Ugh, just exploding all over the place like that!" 

He shuddered again. Xelloss had to cover his mouth delicately to keep from giggling. 

This time, though, Zelgadis was watching him and picked up on the gesture. His eyes narrowed.

"I knew it. You enjoyed watching me squirm the whole time Myona was telling that story, didn't you? And he knew it, too! Pft," he spat. "You make a great team, the two of you!"

"Oh dear, Zel-san, don't be jealous! It only shows how well Myona-kun understands our relationship!"

It took a second for that to sink in, and then of course it only added a wave of mortification to the chimera's turmoil. 

Seized with a terrible inspiration, Xelloss realized that he could probably get an even more horrified reaction out of this conversation, if he was quite unmerciful about it. After his various disappointments the day before, he decided to go for it. 

"But to answer your question, Zel-san, why, of course it could!" he crowed. "How do you think we are all created, hm?"

The grimace of disgust that earned him was gratifying. Zelgadis actually reared back from him, as if seeing his true form for the first time. Of course, the chimera had already seen his true form, on the psychic level at least, and had not found it anywhere near as horrifying as this revelation seemed to be. The expression and the emotion that went with it were so wonderfully, ridiculously human that Xelloss had to stifle his laughter.

"Well, naturally, in my case it was not quite as simple as that, as I'm sure you can imagine," he went on. "Not that I actually remember it, of course, but I'm sure the moment of my creation was much more splendid and elegant. It would have to be, wouldn't it?" 

He slid in closer to Zelgadis, holding his gaze as he painted as vivid a picture for the chimera as he could. 

"My Mistress, being one of the most powerful mazoku in the world, naturally did not need to accumulate an excess of miasma from a mere flock of posturing humans in order to create me! But where else do you think we come from? You know that a mazoku creates another out of its own being, Zel-san; even the Sorcerers Guild has this information correct, as far as it goes."

"Yes," Zelgadis conceded reluctantly, "I know, but... like that? You could just torture someone to create enough misery and then just..." 

He waved his hands in outward moving circles, indicating an explosion of little mazoku. 

Xelloss tipped his head, hiding his amusement as he considered this. It was a rather simplistic view of the process, but not entirely inaccurate. 

"I could not, not at all easily, and not without permission and on orders from Greater Beast-sama," he admitted. "However, the basic idea is quite correct. Of course, in my case, I would hardly need to torture a random bunch of ridiculous human beings, would I?" 

He leaned in to grin into Zelgadis' face. He simply could not resist carrying the chimera's question to its most logical and, he hoped, most horrifying conclusion. 

"It is entirely possible - in theory at least! - that I could absorb enough miasma just from your beautiful, terrible, dark emotions, my dear, sweet chimera, that I could one day create an entirely new mazoku out of it all! And just think of it!" he went on rapturously - and recklessly, driven to dangerous abandon by those very same dark emotions roiling at his proverbial fingertips. "If that were to happen, it would be as if we'd created it together! You could even say that would make you the father of my child! Or, hm, perhaps," he went on, finger to his chin as Zelgadis' jaw dropped further and further, "considering our usual positions, it might be more apt to say you'd be the mo-..." 

He broke off abruptly. The chimera's face had gone red as coals in an oven. There was a moment of what Xelloss guessed a storyteller might describe as a stunned silence. 

And then, with the inevitability of happily-ever-after in a fairy tale, Zelgadis let out a yell that was probably heard all the way back to Mystport, and blasted Xelloss off the bed and right across the room. 

Xelloss never stopped laughing, even when he hit the wall and slithered in a heap to the floor. Kicking his feet and clutching his gut in the greatest fit of giggles he'd had since he could remember, he squinted up to see the glorious picture his lovely joke had produced. Zelgadis clutched his own face, still molten red behind his fingers, eyes winced shut. His other hand stretched out toward Xelloss, forefinger wavering as he shook with fury.

"Don't. You. Ever. Ever! Suggest such a horrible thing again!" Zelgadis rasped. "EVER!"

Xelloss was laughing far too hard to promise any such thing. 

"Not if you ever expect to share my bed again," he added viciously. He pulled his hand away from his face, and the glare he leveled on Xelloss was even more potent than that hasty, miniature Elmekia Lance he'd lashed out with a moment ago. 

In the face of that terrible threat, Xelloss decided it might be prudent to stifle his laughter, at least for the moment. 

"I am sorry, Zel-san," he choked out, "but you did ask! You're always complaining that I won't give you a straightforward answer, and when I do, this is the thanks I get!"

An answer that was only strictly true in theory, as Zelgadis should know, really, so he didn't bother pointing it out. There was a reason Xelloss had been obligated to do Phibrizo's bidding, after all, and if Zelgadis thought about that, he might realize it was because the great Hellmaster could not so easily replace the priest and general he'd lost. 

Zelgadis clutched his head and shook it, probably only at himself this time. He had asked, after all.

"The next time I ask you about something like... like mazoku reproduction, consider it a rhetorical question!" he groaned. 

With the greatest show of contrition he could muster, Xelloss peeled himself off the floor and went to fetch his quivering chimera some breakfast. All things considered, it did not seem a good moment to initiate any of their usual early morning intimacy nor to suggest a practice battle session. Either activity could certainly be interesting, but under the circumstances, might just as likely lead to them getting scolded by the Acting High Priestess for breaking the rules again.

Which was a shame, he reflected, since he'd passed up a chance at all of that last night.

"I suppose," he said mournfully, as he handed Zelgadis his coffee exactly the way he liked it, "this means you're still going to hold out on that bath you promised yesterday? My my, you've become such a terrible tease, Zel-san!"

Zelgadis watched him sidelong, still suspicious as he took his first sip. The coffee and the statement both sank in a moment later. He blinked and frowned.

"Huh. I did, didn't I?" he said, sounding as much startled as sorry. "Mind you, that's no excuse for - for what you just said," he went on. 

He glared over the rim of his coffee mug, but there was just enough doubt and regret in his voice that Xelloss dared to hope for a quick and complete reconciliation after all. 

"Perhaps I did get carried away," Xelloss conceded, and somehow managed not to ruin that with another giggle. "However..."

He was as startled as Zelgadis was by a faint tap on the door. He hadn't sensed anyone approaching, thought that was possibly because he'd been too busy getting blasted and laughing his ass off, but even now he couldn't tell who might be visiting them this early. Except, he realized as he peered out the window into bright, clear daylight, it was really not all that early anymore.

When he got to the door, he was a little surprised to see Myona standing there. Heavily cloaked and hooded against frosty morning air, the boy stood at the door with his head bowed, dark hair falling over his eyes. He didn't look up when Xelloss opened the door to him, and didn't speak, and hesitated a moment after he was invited inside before shuffling through the door. Xelloss had a feeling he would not have knocked a second time. Belatedly, he thought that might have been just as well.

It was too late to simply send him away again now. Zelgadis had already half dressed while Xelloss had busied himself making his breakfast, and now came out to say good morning, almost visibly quivering with curiosity. He peered closely at Myona and asked if everything was all right at his mother's house, and whether Professor Plover had recovered enough to speak. 

The only response was a twitch of a shoulder and a monosyllabic report that Plover's condition had not changed. Xelloss exchanged a questioning glance with the chimera over the boy's head, but after waiting another few seconds in hope of more information, Zelgadis simply shrugged and went to finish dressing.

Myona stood huddled and silent in front of the fire while Xelloss quietly whisked away the remains of breakfast. He went over to stand next to the boy, watching the embers glow in the fireplace.

"I do hope you - and Dream Master - don't mind that we visited the ruins yesterday," he said quietly. 

Hearing this as he came back out of the bedroom, Zelgadis raised an eyebrow and watched for Myona's response. The boy did nothing for a moment, only stood staring into the dying fire. Then one shoulder hitched and he tipped his head to look up at Xelloss. 

"What did you find?" he asked. 

"Not very much, I'm afraid," Xelloss admitted. 

He was almost certain Myona's mouth twitched then, in a smile or a grimace, he could not tell which, with the boy's emotions as muted as ever. 

"Maybe another time," Zelgadis said, "you could be our guide there as well."

This time Myona definitely smiled, the very briefest of smiles, before his face went expressionless again.

"Maybe," he said softly. 

"Well, at any rate," Zelgadis went on as he gathered up pens and paper, "you're still welcome to come with us to the Mala's library. It's not really necessary if you'd rather not, but we'd be glad to have your company. Ready to go?"

Myona shrugged again, one thin shoulder rising and falling under the heavy cloak. Zelgadis chose to take this as a yes. 

"Good. Come on, then! Might as well get Xelloss-sensei's torture started!"

"Zel-san!" Xelloss whined. Indeed, what else could a day spent entertaining Shuno and Melianthus be called? Zelgadis grinned at him. 

Myona showed no reaction to this, but Zelgadis didn't seem to expect him to, except to follow them out the door and then, at Zelgadis' gesture, to lead the way back to Melly's house. 

The morning was clear, bright, and cold, the sharp autumn sunlight bringing out what little color there was left in the forested hills behind the village. The sunshine also inspired a bustle of activity in the Temple grounds and the village, Xelloss noticed as they followed Myona's path out to the northern point. It was still fairly early, and chill enough that the humans' breath made brief puffs of steam in the air, yet there were already temple residents and people of the village out in gardens, yards and shop doorways, raking leaves and sweeping dried mud off walkways, and generally taking advantage of the better weather to be industrious. 

It almost seemed a shame to keep Myona inside a dusty old library on a day like this, he supposed. Even Zelgadis sniffed the air and gazed up at the sunlit mountains behind the village as if he was considering adventure. Myona barely raised his head to gaze over at the hooked point this morning, though. It might be just as well that they could give him something else to think about for awhile, Xelloss thought.

Dulcinea opened the door of the mansion to Xelloss' knock, and left it for them to close while she went back to the household task they'd interrupted. At the moment, that task involved dumping Melly's questionable flower arrangement into a bucket of trash and jamming a fresh bunch of flowers into the vase in its place. Xelloss was certainly no expert on the subject, but he thought that her haphazard clump of a randomly picked blooms and greens looked far more decorative than the mess that Melly had been fussing over when they'd first arrived two days ago.

They had paused in the front hall, uncertain whether to go right in to the library or wait for Melly or Shuno to greet them, since Dulcinea had obviously decided that particular duty was outside her job description. Just as she turned away to leave the room with her bucket of wilting flowers, Melly popped out of the same door she was aiming for. Dulcinea drew back with a soft, disgruntled exclamation. Melly would have walked right into her, his attention entirely concentrated on the four oranges in his hands. 

For a moment, Xelloss wondered if this was The Mala's idea of brunch for his house guests. Then Melly, still walking forward with halting, jerking steps, tossed first one orange into the air, and then another, and then tossed the third one with one hand while he attempted to catch the first on its downward arc with the other hand. However, that hand still held the fourth orange, so when he caught the first he dropped the last.

Dulcinea had backed up to stand near their group where they'd stopped, next to the ornamental table that held her flower arrangement, and Myona had edged forward to see why they were all standing there. He glanced at the flowers, one eyebrow rising and the other dipping as he seemed to ponder its appearance there on the table. 

"Not an improvement," he murmured, turning back to watch Melly instead. 

To Xelloss' faint surprise, Dulcinea heard him but only shook her head. "Is it ever?" she muttered in reply. 

Melly dropped another orange. 

Myona rolled his eyes, and Dulcinea rolled hers, and their eyes met. She blinked and he froze, caught in a rare moment of agreement on something. 

A second later she turned and stalked away in a huff, muttering something about creeps and weirdos under her breath. Myona ducked his head and shuffled back behind Zelgadis.

Melly had now managed to keep one of the remaining two oranges in the air and catch the other for a couple of rounds before he fumbled and dropped both at once. Beside him, Xelloss felt Zelgadis let out a briefly held breath, and then the chimera made that awkward coughing sound recognizable to all the world as stifled laughter. All the world except the Mala, that is. 

"Ah, Xelloss-sama! And Zelgadis-san!" Melly said, finally noticing them. "So good to see you again. Lovely morning...isn't it?"

He peered past them, squinting at the sunlight streaming in the windows, as if he wasn't certain whether it really was a lovely morning or not. Ignoring the fallen oranges rolling around on the floor by his feet, he came over and took Xelloss by the arm. 

"Shuno is waiting for us in the library, eager to begin our lessons, Xelloss-sensei!" he said. 

Xelloss managed not to wince or cringe too visibly, but Zelgadis let out a snort of laughter that time, which, of course, Melly didn't even notice. It was entirely aimed at him anyway, Xelloss guessed, and turned to give Zelgadis a piteous look. 

Zelgadis had snatched up the nearest three of the fallen oranges, and now casually began to flip them into the air and catch them again with his nimble fingers. After a second of practice, he had them flying through his hands in a perfect circle of gold, without even a hint of magic to keep them going.

"My my," Xelloss said admiringly. "Chimera of many talents!" 

Myona and Melly both turned and watched him for a moment as well. Myona's face lit up with fascination for the first time that morning, and even Melly seemed to register a faint sort of admiration in his vague smile. 

Then he turned and started to walk away, still hooked to Xelloss' arm. 

"Come, now, Xelloss-san; Shuno has picked out some excellent texts for us to begin our lessons with, I believe!"

Xelloss could almost literally feel Zelgadis' smug amusement poking him from behind as he let himself be led away to the library. His chimera really would make a very good mazoku, he thought wistfully.

________________________________________________________________________

Zelgadis supposed he probably should not have upstaged The Mala like that, but he couldn't help showing off a little bit for Myona, especially when it inspired the first spark of life he'd seen in the boy's eyes that morning. He tossed one of the oranges to Myona as they reached the library and got a brief grin in return. In their portraits on the wall, Melly's parents looked quite unimpressed. 

By the time they entered the library, they found Xelloss already besieged by his students. Whatever else he'd been trying to do a few minutes ago, Melly was now firmly attached to Xelloss, huddled close beside him at one of the long library tables with one hand hooked around his arm. He leaned over to look where Xelloss pointed at the page of the book in front of him, and Shuno crowded in to see from the other side, frowning.

Xelloss glanced up and greeted Zelgadis and Myona with a crooked, rather desperate smile - or was there something else in it for a moment? Zelgadis didn't get the chance to be sure of it because Melly tugged on his arm just then, and Shuno shook his head and added his own pointing finger to the mazoku's. 

"That's the definitive form of 'climacteric,' not the pre-emptive form," Shuno insisted. 

Xelloss laughed awkwardly, rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and nodded 

"Now that you mention it, you're quite right, Shuno-kun! I may be just a little rusty on the grammar," he said. "Please forgive me for any lapses. I will certainly try to do better!"

Shuno shrugged and jabbed his finger at another place on the page. "This. I don't know this one, what is it?"

"Ah, let's see," Xelloss said, "mmm, yes.... the best translation for that would be, ah, 'ripening,' I believe." 

Zelgadis suppressed a smile. How often did he get to see Xelloss on the spot like this? Not since they’d t traveled with Lina and the dragon priestess had he seen the mazoku cornered and sweating this nervously. 

He left the mazoku to his fun, such as it was, and headed for the pile of books Melly had left from the day they were last here. At the top of the pile was the far more colorful version of the Asmalath ancestor's journal, along with the all the books that had supposedly been of interest to Professor Herringull. Myona had followed him and now stood at his elbow, staring down at the Herringull collection with his lower lip caught between his teeth.

Zelgadis could not help but glance longingly at the shelf where The Warp and Weft of Spellweaving was tucked securely among the other older books. He supposed he should make a better show of studying what he claimed to be studying before he gave in to the lure of that old treasure. He picked up the verbose version of Melly's ancestor's journal.

"I'll start with this," he announced, without much enthusiasm.

Myona, standing with his back to the group at the other table, wrinkled his nose at the book. Zelgadis caught his eye with a twist of his mouth to indicate that this was certainly not what he really intended to study. 

Myona smiled his distant, odd little smile and wandered away. For the next few hours, while Zelgadis settled in to read the ancestor's journal and lessons began in earnest at the other table, Myona drifted around the library, running his fingertips along old bindings and gazing dreamily at all the treasures on the shelves. 

Zelgadis had not read far into this translation of A Chronicle of The Flight From Skye before the lurid prose nearly had him groaning out loud. He felt his eyes glazing over; in spite of the overwrought description of the destruction of the island and the frantic journey of the sorcerers, it managed to be even more boring than the dry version he'd tried to read back at the cottage. In fact, his attention was frequently drawn away by what he overheard of Xelloss' lessons in the ancient language. 

Shuno had managed to find a written approximation of "The Making of Worlds" in the old tongue. At least, that's what it sounded like from the strange grocery list of words and phrases Xelloss translated for him and Melly. As far as Zelgadis could tell, it was meant to be a comparison of different worlds and the various types of beings that dwelled in them, but some of the strings of words made bizarre enough combinations that they even made Xelloss pause and stammer. Was there really such a thing in all of Chaos as a transient golf spear, or a red-roofed, soft-shelled, chicken-fingered nestling crystal, Zelgadis wondered? He didn't think he even wanted to know what a pileated gut-mucker was. 

Shuno, naturally, didn't seem to notice or care how randomly the words flowed, and Melly simply nodded along and repeated the strange list without any sign of connecting them to any meaning at all. As the day wore on, though, Zelgadis began to realize there might be some kind of method to this meandering madness after all. The tome Shuno had picked might fail completely in the realm of storytelling or being informative, but as a first lesson in a foreign language, it was a great introduction to vocabulary. 

His own study of the ancestor's journal and the rest of Herringull's collection were not even that enlightening. Several of them told essentially the same story, and others merely speculated about specific aspects of the tale, or compared them to elements of Beast Tribe legends in a way that managed to discredit both. He could see where she'd developed a great deal of her anti-Skye theories out of them, in spite of the fact that several of them tried very hard to prove that the Asmalaths had descended directly from refugees of the great lost city. The harder they tried, the less likely the whole idea sounded. 

Myona prowled around in the background, shadowy and silent like a library ghost. After awhile, he grew bold enough to pluck a book from a shelf now and then and take a closer look at it. By the end of the day, after the gray sunlight had slanted across the tables and then began to fade from the tall windows, the boy had quietly gathered a nice little jumble of books and scrolls and loosely bound manuscripts at the corner of Zelgadis' table. He'd picked one to read, and sat curled up over it with his hair falling forward to hide his face.

The lesson table was quiet for the moment; Xelloss had set his students to copying some of the ancient writing, though this didn't give him a break from their many questions as they both required constant assurance that they were doing it right. Zelgadis stood up to stretch, and then walked to the far end of the table to peek over the boy's shoulder. He was a little surprised to find him engrossed in familiar old tales of the seven Beast Tribes. In fact, Myona had chosen to read a version of the tale of Arin, the Hero King of the Hawk Folk.

"Huh," he said quietly. "You should ask Xelloss for his version of that story sometime."

Myona tipped his head to look up at him, eyebrows curling with curiosity. "There's a mazoku variation of it?" 

"Well, there's a Xelloss variation. He told me that story on the way to Shimeria. That's why we ended up here, because his story got me thinking about the Beast Tribes and Skye."

Myona blinked slowly and nodded, the corners of his lips twitching. His gaze drifted from Zelgadis to the books he'd gathered, and then his attention was drawn back the tale of Arin. 

Most of the rest of the books in Myona's little pile, however, were not beast tribe stories, but books of magic. Magical theory and history and recipe lists of spells, Zelgadis saw at a glance, with just enough of legends and tales among them to make the collection look random and innocent. Exactly what he would have picked off the shelves for himself if he'd spent the afternoon browsing instead of slogging through the Asmalath family's alleged history.

He made a soft sound of surprise. Myona beamed up at him for a brief moment and, conspiratorially, Zelgadis beamed back. He was pleased that the boy had been distracted out of the gloom that hung over him this morning. More than that, he was truly looking forward to coming back to the library tomorrow. 

Xelloss, on the other hand, looked somewhat the worse for wear by the time lessons finally came to an end, which finally happened when Dulcinea stomped a while later and reminded Melly that it was time for dinner - and that there wasn't enough for guests. 

"Didn't think you'd all still be here," she grumbled, with a particular glare in Myona's general direction, and muttered something else about "gluttons for punishment" as she stomped back out.

As frustrating as his reading had been so far, Zelgadis thought that description applied more accurately to Xelloss. However, the mazoku was once again looking fairly pleased with himself when he left the lesson table a moment later. Melly and Shuno gathered up their notes and headed for the door one after the other, each murmuring a string of words in the lost language. Badly pronounced words, Zelgadis thought with a wince, but he could hardly blame them for that. The old language had not had any native speakers for hundreds of years - unless, as some claimed, it was the secret language of demons, but Zelgadis had never given that theory much credit, and he'd now seen that even Xelloss had to dig parts of it out distant memory. Besides that, it could be something of a tongue twister, and was full of slithery, sputtery sounds that often came out as if the speaker had a lisp. 

It took him a moment to notice what they were reciting, evidently committing to memory lists of words that Xelloss has given them. 

"Shplrk, shplrkell, uh, shplrkellsh, ahshplrkellsh," he heard Shuno repeat in the words of the ancient language. "Shplrk, shplrkell...." 

A moment later Zelgadis' brain provided the translation: Come, will come, is coming, has come....

He had a feeling he knew why Xelloss looked so smug.

"I don't suppose that verb has the double meaning in the old language that it does in ours?" he asked quietly, eyebrow raised, after Xelloss strolled over to him. 

Xelloss put a finger to his chin and tipped his head, so very predictably. "Hm, now that you mention it, I suppose it might, although I can't say I've ever seen it used in that context..." 

He trailed off as Melly wandered by, absently bumping into a table as he recited his own declension of an adjective, so automatically and with such poor pronunciation that Zelgadis doubted he even knew what he was saying. Zelgadis did know, however, and he thought it might be just as well if Melly didn't.

"Hoh, hohhohk, hohhohkuh... oh dear, what is the next one? Ah yes I remember - hohHUHkuh!"  
(Hard, harder, extremely hard... much harder!)

His bland voice even managed to get the emphasis right, which could only mean he was copying Xelloss' own pronunciation exactly. Zelgadis pinched the bridge of his nose and raised both eyebrows at Xelloss, who shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. 

"Hm, I suppose my mind started to wander toward certain other matters," the mazoku admired, far more sheepish than any mazoku should be able to be. 

"Nothing to do with our conversation this morning," Zelgadis growled as they follow the oblivious students out of the library. 

Xelloss' face was blankly innocent. "What conversation was that, Zel-san? I don't remember any particular conversation of interest from this morning!" 

"Good start on never bringing it up again," Zelgadis muttered. 

The damn mazoku actually fluttered his eyelashes at him, at once innocent, beseeching, and suggestive. Zelgadis pretended to ignore him.

Considering Xelloss had started his day by getting himself blasted into a wall, he really did seem to be a glutton for punishment, Zelgadis thought. He'd brought it on himself. The worst of it, putting up with Shuno and Melly for days to come, Xelloss had taken on for his sake. 

He decided he should demonstrate his appreciation of that with a practical, in-context application of "shplrkellsh hohHUHkuh," just as soon as they got back to the privacy of their cottage. 

\---  
 _tbc. Coming up: an awkward encounter at the dining hall, and a fitting end to the day._


	23. Return of the Princess of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter summary: Zelgadis and Xelloss face an awkward moment with the Loremasters, and finally take a break from studying and research. (Revised version 11/23, added a small scene that I forgot and made a few other tiny changes/corrections.)

Kemara was just inside the door of the dining hall, and as much as Zelgadis wanted to slip past unnoticed on the way to the grab their dinner to go, he had to ask if there was any change in Plover's condition. With a barely audible sigh, Myona shuffled on toward the kitchen. Zelgadis stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Surely you're not going back to work there now? You've already done a good day's work, in my opinion! You're a better guide to the Library of the Asmalaths than The Mala himself, hm? Besides, it doesn't look like they're short on help here tonight."

"I.. .guess so?" Myona looked to his sister for confirmation.

"They're fine," Kemara said. She waved a hand in the direction of the kitchen, almost as if she was shooing them all off in that direction. "In fact, I was hoping I'd catch you all here. I encourage you to go ahead and excuse yourselves from dinner for a... ah, but, well...." 

She paused and fidgeted as something within the dining hall caught her eye. Her lower lip briefly caught in her teeth before she turned back to them and went on. 

"I'm afraid I let it slip that there are passages in the Princess of Fate that are most pertinent to the lore of the Temple," she said quickly, then winced. "That has already stirred up a bee's-nest-buzz of questions and curiosity, as you might expect, and..."

At that moment, Zelgadis saw what she'd noticed inside the hall. The plump figure of Loremaster Erta came bouncing toward them in a flutter of dark blue robes, followed closely by the scowling archivist, Spearos. Others in the dining hall turned toward them, frowning with curious glances or tipping their heads together to whisper.

"Oh dear," Xelloss said quietly, catching sight of them as well. "I assume your Loremasters are hoping to hear a more accurate description of the events?"

Zelgadis swore under his breath. He couldn't blame Kemara; of course she'd feel compelled to share the information about an actual manifestation of the Temple's deity. It was as much his own fault for giving her the book. They would have gotten their hands on that sooner or later anyway, but maybe not until he was out of sight and mind of them.

Even aside from his normal reluctance to be spotlighted and grilled with questions, he wasn't sure he could explain the appearance of the Golden Lord any more clearly than Martina must have done. There was almost a low note of warning in Xelloss' voice, as if he was even more reluctant to reveal his deeper understanding of the matter, at least not to these particular Loremasters.

Kemara blushed and twisted her hands together, although there was a gleam of curiosity in her eyes as well. The look on her face reminded Zelgadis of the embarrassed yet curious looks she'd given them in the Hall of Disrobing in Shimeria. 

In fact, Loremaster Erta's eager, predatory smile, while not as unnerving as the grins of the Soldiers of Shimer, gave him quite the same sensation of exposure as if he'd just been stripped of cloak and tunic in a public place. The difference here was that Xelloss didn't seem to find the same delight he would if that were the case. He stiffened as the Loremasters came winding toward them between the tables, and stood unnaturally still and quiet beside Zelgadis, the way he might if he were about to turn his full, threatening gaze upon an approaching enemy. 

"Stories aren't owned by the heroes inside them," Myona murmured, "and heroes are not beholden to their tales."

Kemara turned to him, her fidgeting paused by surprise. She grinned and ruffled his hair. 

"True enough! They are not the responsibility of any of their characters to tell, even if Princess Martina did take that upon herself. And this is Lina-sama's tale if it is anyone's, anyway."

She made the last statement clearly enough to be heard by the Loremasters as they came up to the group at the door. Erta still managed not to hear it.

"Xelloss-sama, Zelgadis-san!" the Loremaster crowed as she flapped and fluttered to a halt in front of them. "I do hope you'll agree to the invitation I'm sure Kemara-sama has extended to you?"

Her small eyes darted between himself and Xelloss and the Acting High Priestess, completely unabashed by the mazoku's thin smile. At her shoulder, Spearos glowered, though it was hard to tell exactly where his displeasure was directed. 

"I have not yet made the invitation, Erta-san," Kemara said firmly. "In fact we were just discussing the propriety of the matter."

Erta's mouth fell open in a round "o" of surprise. She drew breath as if she intended to offer the intended invitation herself, but Kemara blocked her by turning away and addressing Zelgadis and Xelloss quickly instead. 

"As I told you when you arrived, Xelloss-sama, Zelgadis-san," she began, "we trade in tales and stories here at the Temple of the Golden Lord. You did not come here intending to entertain us, and as I also said, you've already provided enough of a tale to cover your room and board for the entire winter. However!" she said, and stopped. 

Xelloss raised his head as if listening intently, and Zelgadis felt he was holding his breath waiting for her to continue. 

"As Acting High Priestess, it is my honor to invite you - under no obligation whatsoever! - to lead a formal Recitation of the tale of the Princess of Fate, in your own words and at your leisure, for the great benefit of all here at the Temple."

Zelgadis felt his limbs seize up, frozen with dread. Beside him, he thought he felt Xelloss twitch, but he was too distracted by a sense of impending doom to even look at the mazoku. Erta beamed at them and, after a moment of silence, nodded quickly, encouragingly. Spearos raised one dark eyebrow. 

"As you said a moment ago, Kemara-sama," Xelloss spoke up quietly, "This is not really our tale to tell. Besides that, I am only here to accompany Zelgadis-san on his quest, but as such, I would hate to see his studies interrupted."

"Oh, there's no rush and no hurry," Erta chirped up, flapping her hands at them. "You could take all the time you'd like!"

"There will be a Recitation," Spearos stated, his gravely voice breaking in for the first time. "A Tale such as this is far too important to be confined to a mere book. Scribes have already begun to convert the document into a more fitting form to be conveyed for the benefit of all. I expect we will be ready to begin soon after hallow night."

Zelgadis gaped at him, too startled to be much relieved. At least this didn't sound like he and Xelloss would be expected to recite the tale themselves, but the glare of disapproval that Spearos leveled at all of them when he spat the word "book" had him clenching his fists. 

"Any such Recitations," Kemara said, taking a step forward, "will be subject to the approval and authorization of the High Priestess, in any case." 

That announcement prodded both Loremasters to shut their mouths and draw backward as if a door had slammed in their faces. The hawk-man's thick eyebrows V'd into an even deeper frown, but he dropped his head in a curt nod. Erta lowered her eyes although the determined smile still clung to her lips. 

"Why yes!" Xelloss said brightly. "Of course, we should consult with the High Priestesses, just as soon as they're free from their duties as healers, caretakers, administrators, and any other more pressing concerns!"

Kemara's mouth twitched as that not very subtle reminder made the Loremasters draw in quick breaths. Erta raised her head. 

"Well yes, of course, accidents and such will happen," she said dismissively. "It's unfortunate that so much of the High Priestess' time is taken up by people who insist on doing irresponsible things. However, the preservation and dissemination of Lore is also an important duty of this Temple...ah... of course," she conceded as Kemara's stern smile bore into her, "it is not for us Loremasters to dictate duty to the High Priestess!"

She tittered with awkward laughter and bobbled a quick curtsey toward Kemara. Spearos was not as much intimidated. 

"Naturally," he said, leveling his gaze at Kemara, "the Loremasters must always bow to the greater wisdom of the High Priestess. That is why we estimate at least a month of preparation. During that time, we would, of course, welcome any corrections of fact to the written text, as it is bound to be filled with frivolous distractions and inaccuracies, as all such artifacts are."

He had inclined his head toward Zelgadis and Xelloss with the last few words, but the glower in his sharp, yellow-eyed gaze made Zelgadis feel it was more of a threat than an invitation. Evidently Spearos did not expect an answer on the spot, however, as he turned away from them and then, with the stiffest of bows to Kemara, stalked out of the dining hall. 

Zelgadis realized they had attracted an audience among the diners in the hall, most of whom had stopped their own conversations to listen in, some staring openly from their seats at the tables. It definitely felt like the Hall of Disrobing all over again. At least it did not seem likely to lead to as much of a disaster in the next few minutes, and this time Kemara was clearly determined to provide escape. 

"No more can be said of the matter at this time," she announced, and when Erta opened her mouth as if to say something more of the matter anyway, Kemara stepped in front of her. "No doubt our honored guests are hungry and tired after a long day of study and reflection," she said graciously. "Please do not let us detain you any longer!"

Erta stammered something in the background, agreeing and yet wheedling for more of their attention at the same time. Zelgadis took his cue from Kemara to ignore her. He put his hand on Myona's shoulder.

"Our guide needs his dinner as well - he's certain earned it!" he said. "He's served us very well so far. I hope it's not a problem if we continue to rely on his services?"

"Not at all!" Kemara said. She beamed at Myona. 

The boy flushed pink, but one corner of his mouth turned up even as his sister hustled him off toward the kitchen. Zelgadis thought Xelloss was nearly as relieved as he was to get away from the Loremasters and follow them.

"I have to admit," Xelloss said quietly after they'd turned a corner out of sight of the main door of the hall, "I've become very curious about these books. If they include all the adventures Martina-san shared with Lina-san, there must be quite a few memorable scenes! But I do wonder how those adventures looked through the eyes of the 'Princess.' Rather different than if you or I wrote the same story, don't you think? I suppose a recitation of Lina's adventures in search of a Claire Bible manuscript could be quite entertaining!"

He turned to Zelgadis with a smile that was not nearly as innocent as it might appear to one who didn't know him well - as well as Zelgadis had come to know him on those very adventures, in fact. That included the memorable moment when Lina had revealed to her shocked companions (except for Gourry, who had inexplicably figured it out earlier) that their tag-along fruitcake of a mysterious priest was really a high ranking mazoku. 

"She wasn't around when you first weaseled your way into Lina's life," he said thoughtfully, ignoring the hurt sound Xelloss made, "and started to plague me in my quest," he added with a sharp glare. He had to think a minute to remember just how the vengeful princess had become part of their group. "That's right; you and Martina caught up with us again at Seyruun, after the business with Prince Phil, and then..."

Then he remembered where they had gone next, and next after that. Before the fateful confrontation with "the dragon" Gaav, their quest had taken them to the haunted tower of Almay, a shrine on a treasure map, and a village full of shrine maidens - except not.

The reason for Xelloss' cheery curiosity became all too clear. Zelgadis pressed his palm to his forehead and groaned. 

"Of course she wrote about all of that, I suppose," he grumbled. He raked his hand down his face, glaring through his fingers at Xelloss. "Recitation or not, don't you dare start going on about that town with the shrine maidens, or about singing spells, or about.. oh good lord... bunny costumes," he growled. 

Not that Xelloss keeping silent would change the fact that many of these people had already read about things he'd rather pretend had never happened at all. It was almost enough to make him regret attacking the book burners.

"More things I'm not allowed to discuss, dear me!" Xelloss said. "I'll run out of conversation topics entirely if this keeps up!"

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow.

"The consequences in all cases being the same, perhaps that's for the better, don't you think?"

Xelloss tipped his head to the side, put on his most innocent pout, and raised his finger in a familiar gesture. 

"It's a secret?" he offered. 

Zelgadis didn't give him the satisfaction of a direct reply to that. 

"Let's get dinner," was all he said, and headed for the kitchens.

\---

"What time shall I come by tomorrow?" Myona asked when they all had dinner baskets in hand a few minutes later.

"Anytime at all, but not too early," Xelloss answered cheerfully. "You know our chimera likes a leisurely start to his day!"

Zelgadis winced; he was sure Myona's smirk widened and Kemara blushed at the innuendo, but she said nothing before nudging her brother to be on his way, with orders to "go straight home! Mother will be expecting you by full dark and no later!"

By the time he and Xelloss got back to their cottage, Zelgadis was considering making good on his threat of keeping Xelloss at arm's length, at least for one more night. The only problem with that idea was that he didn't want to. He kept thinking of the way Melly and Shuno had hung all over him all day, and how relatively innocent and nondestructive Xelloss' prank on them had been in spite of this, and how strangely touching it was that Xelloss had apparently let him alone to study and sleep the night before. 

He managed to hide his true intentions all the way back to the cottage, but he only made it part way through dinner before Xelloss' silent, subtle plea for attention broke through his defenses.

Xelloss had scooted his chair close to Zelgadis with the excuse of being curious about any notes he'd taken. With a sort of patient sigh, as if to say "oh, if you must!" Zelgadis casually hooked his arm around Xelloss' arm - the same one Melly had been hanging onto all day - and then pretended to ignore him while he pretended to read his notes on Beast tribe lore concerning Skye. Scowling at words he wasn't really reading, he stroked the crook of Xelloss' arm absently where Melly had hooked him and led him away, until Xelloss sighed and pressed his chin to Zelgadis' shoulder like a cat seeking headrubs. 

Zelgadis bit his lip to keep from grinning. Xelloss certainly seemed to want the contact, but still held back, not with the weird reluctance he'd had before but just as if he was really trying to be... considerate? Perhaps too considerate. It was a little alarming; he had to wonder if the mazoku could hurt himself by being so nice and helpful. At the same time, though, he had to admit it was arousing in a way, to feel Xelloss wanting him so hard and holding back, denying himself...

"You're cute," he said finally, "when you're begging so nicely."

Xelloss raised his head in surprise. 

"You are a terrible tease, Zel-san! But if that's what you think, I'll be glad to beg as nicely as you please!"

Zelgadis ran his hand down Xelloss' forearm and covered the mazoku's gloved hand with his own, as Melly had done nearly the same when he was looking at something in the lesson book. He nuzzled Xelloss' shoulder where Melly had leaned over him so many times. Even though Melly had not ever quite rested his chin on that shoulder as far as he noticed, Zelgadis did so now, and then nuzzled closer and rubbed his rough face against Xelloss' ear and his chin.

Xelloss leaned into the touch but still didn't turn toward him, and didn't do anything more at all. Zelgadis started to wonder if there was another reason he was holding back, until Xelloss sighed and spoke. 

"Ah, Zel-san, you are not planning to only use my shoulder for a pillow again tonight, I hope?" 

Did I really do that? Zelgadis wondered. He almost chuckled at the thought. If he had, it was because Xelloss had let him fall asleep - such a sweet gesture that it clearly explained his need to make that horrible joke the morning afterward. 

Zelgadis didn't want to point out to Xelloss that he was being awfully damn nice for a mazoku. He had quite a different intention tonight, though, so he reached over and nudged the mazoku's chin around to face him, brushing their lips together. 

"I might just do that... eventually..." 

Not right now, though, because right now he needed to kiss Xelloss and make sure the mazoku responded as readily as all his begging and teasing and holding back promised. 

Xelloss did indeed welcome the kiss, a breathless sigh in his throat, lips and tongue eagerly pulling him in. Zelgadis spread his fingers and moved his hand back along Xelloss' chin to curl lightly around the side of his face and his throat. Dark hair fell across and between his fingers with a whisper like silk and shadow. Welcome heat under his palm seeped through his stone skin, even if it was the heat of magical energy rather than human warmth. Xelloss tasted dark and rich on his tongue, felt both delicate and strong as wire against his rough hand, the muscles of his throat and jaw moving as he deepened the kiss. 

Xelloss twisted around in his chair to turn toward him, and Zelgadis, with an encouraging little murmur, slipped his arm down to pull him closer. He still held back on the astral side. For the moment, he wanted to concentrate on reclaiming Xelloss from Melly's touch, as meaningless as that touch may be, and to indulge his fascination, once again, with the amazing illusion of Xelloss' physical form. It may well have been designed to be innocuously attractive, a perfect masquerade to put humans off their guard - as effective in its way as the humiliating games played by the puppet-master at Almay tower or any other mazoku trick. As far as Zelgadis was concerned, it could have been molded to the specification of his own desires. 

He intended to let Xelloss know how much he appreciated this happy accident, although perhaps happy was not the most apt word to use in relation to lusting after a mazoku. Maybe there was a word in the old language that would fit better. If there was, he couldn't be bothered to recall it now, and he didn't want to remind Xelloss of his lessons anyway, not when he was doing his best to replace any hint of Melly's presence at Xelloss' side. 

The best way to do that, he reasoned, was to be exactly as intense and forceful as Melianthus Asmalath could never be. He clutched a handful of Xelloss' collar - mindful of the fact that it was as much a part of Xelloss as his skin - curled his other arm around the mazoku's waist and pulled him hard against his chest. 

Xelloss squirmed, whined, and suddenly Zelgadis felt the swell of astral energy pulse against his spirit. Finally, Xelloss was reaching for him. Zelgadis allowed his awareness to split, thankful that this was far easier than it used to be. On the astral side, he reached to pull Xelloss' spirit in and hold him as he already did on the physical plane, first with the kiss and now with his arms. 

Before he could take hold, though, Xelloss' spirit spiraled all around him. Disoriented by the swirl of dark astral energy, Zelgadis scrambled to keep his focus and keep his grip on the mazoku's body. The astral force rippled across and around his spirit, pulsing across his senses. He groaned and gave in to it for a moment, then squirmed around to entwine with it and curled his fingers into Xelloss' skin.

Xelloss whined again, low in his throat, but then chuckled softly, the low sound echoed by a vibration humming through his astral form. 

"Oh? do you think you can hold me back, now that I've got your full attention again?" he murmured as he nibbled at Zelgadis' lips. "This is not the time I want you to practice your defensive magic, silly chimera!"

Zelgadis grunted, an attempt at laughter that was waylaid by Xelloss pulling his head back and latching his mouth over the pulse in his throat. Gloved hands slid in between their bodies, which had to be a mazoku trick because there was not so much as a paper's width of space between them at that moment. Heated fingertips like fiery claws scraped over Zelgadis' shirt, down his chest and torso, sending an arc like spell-fire right down to his cock. 

Of course, this was exactly why Zelgadis had failed so far to raise any astral shields against Xelloss, even in their battle practice. He never had the slightest desire to hold the mazoku at bay, no matter how much some part of his soul still screamed with horror at the inhuman thing that embraced his astral body. Sometimes he could make defensive magic work to the same effect, though. He put that principle to work now and threw all his will into the desire to hold onto Xelloss on every level of his being. 

It might well have been exactly what Xelloss was expecting, for all he could tell; at any rate, it worked, at least for the moment, as the mazoku's grip on him swirled more loosely around him. That gave him the opportunity to drag Xelloss up to his feet and kick the chairs aside, and then tumble them both to the floor. 

Zelgadis had the upper hand, for now, but he chose to use it to roll onto his back, trapping the startled mazoku between his legs and pulling his head down for another forceful kiss, even as he let his astral body curl and wind, around and under the mazoku's grasping spirit. 

Surprised again, Xelloss stared down at him for a moment. Violet eyes gleamed in the firelight. Zelgadis moved, squirming under him just enough to make his arousal felt. Xelloss' mouth stretched slowly into a smile as he rolled sinuously and clamped Zelgadis to the floor from groin to chest. 

"Hohhohkuh!" he said approvingly. 

"Hohhohk," Zelgadis groaned, twisting for more contact, until Xelloss thrust sharply against him. The mazoku's erection ground against Zelgadis almost painfully, forcing a gasp from his lungs. He closed his eyes and winced, but it was every bit as much in desire as discomfort. 

"Ah, it's good to know my lessons have not gone entirely to waste..." Xelloss said. 

"Much... harder," Zelgadis panted, not bothering to recall the foreign word this time. He could not remember the grammatical form that would turn the word into a plea, anyway, but he made sure the meaning was clear enough in the way his spirit reached for Xelloss. 

"Certainly," Xelloss said, grinning into his face. "But first..." 

The mazoku's clothes vanished. Zelgadis eyes went wide; he raised his head enough to look down the length of the mazoku's naked form, pale skin glowing with firelight, rippling sensuously as he moved to pin Zelgadis down again. He pulled Xelloss' head down, brushed his lips with a quick kiss then pressed his face against the mazoku's skin, nipped at the hollow of his throat, tasting the scent of shadow and astral magic. 

Annoyingly, his own tunic and trousers remained twisted around his body. Of course, Xelloss could evaporate them with a thought if he wished. For that matter Zelgadis could do it himself, if only he could pull his thoughts together enough to think of the spell words for it, but Xelloss used the constraining friction to tease him into a state of incoherent pleading. 

Zelgadis gave in to the desperation Xelloss wanted. He squirmed harder and swore, creatively and sincerely, and let the pressure build into fury and finally into desperation. Every growl and every struggling movement increased the friction and heat of Xelloss' touch, until he whimpered Xelloss' name and whispered, "please...."

Xelloss paused and drew back, just enough for Zelgadis to look up and see his eyes glittering like violet sparks. Beyond words in any language, all Zelgadis could do was swallow hard and fix Xelloss with a glare as sharp as a spell-glamored sword. 

Amethyst-shard eyes fell closed for a second. Then Xelloss finally slid his hands inside Zelgadis' clothes and quickly tugged them all off and out of the way. Naturally, he managed to do this without letting Zelgadis up from where he was, laid out under him on his back on the cottage floor, not that Zelgadis tried very hard to get free of him. Once his clothes were gone, Xelloss leaned down over him again. 

"You're so," Xelloss began. He paused, and his grin spread wider when he continued, "so delicious when you're begging so desperately," he said.

All Zelgadis could think in response to that was I know... 

Knowing this was what Xelloss craved, he gave in to all of his desperate need, letting it flood his senses. Even though he had Xelloss begging at the start, even though he was the one who had kissed Xelloss first this time and pulled him to the floor, Zelgadis was, as usual, the one who ended up begging aloud for the inevitable conclusion of things. If he was holding back now at all, it was only to make the desperation more intense, flooding Xelloss with it as well, until there was nothing but need and release between them. 

He made sure to nestle his head against Xelloss' shoulder again before sleep overcame him, but by then he wasn't sure the mazoku had enough wit left to notice. 

\---

By the time Myona arrived at a very reasonable hour the next morning, Zelgadis was ready to greet him at the door, already coffeed and showered and dressed. Xelloss sat beside the fire, calmly sipping tea. For some reason, this seemed to amuse Myona; he looked from one of them to the other and bit back a grin before turning away. Blushing, Zelgadis wondered just how much the kid really did understand about their relationship. Clearly he wasn't quite as unworldly as he seemed.

On the way along the path behind the village, he remembered that he never did ask Kemara about Plover's condition the day before. Myona could only report to them that Plover had still not awakened.

"He's still in a nightmare, somewhere deep inside his mind," Myona said, his voice gone small and thin. "That's what Mother said." 

Zelgadis fell silent, almost wishing he hadn't asked. Xelloss tipped his head thoughtfully, and then, in a surprising show of tact, changed the subject. 

"What were you reading so intently yesterday, Myona-kun?"

Myona blinked. "Oh, um. That? I was, um... " he stammered. "Those old Hawk tribe tales... I've heard them before, but... "

While they walked along the path in the crisp, bright autumn air, Myona began to tell them about the stories he'd read. By the time they reached the Mala's garden, he was fairly chattering away, a far cry from his usual brief spurts of conversation and quiet tones of voice. He'd gone beyond relating the tale he'd read into analyzing it in comparison to the oral versions of the same story, pondering the differences between the two forms of storytelling. Zelgadis wondered what else swirled around inside the boy's head besides gruesome mazoku legends and a disturbingly shrewd awareness of his elders' personal relationships.

"You would really make a fine scholar, Myona," he said. "You should be studying at a Guild school, not slaving away in a scullery! No offense to the teachings of the temple," he added quickly.

"On the contrary," Xelloss argued, "I'm afraid the Sorcerer's Guild would only stifle such a lively and inventive imagination!"

Myona blushed crimson and shook his head, but his eyes were big, shining, staring ahead to Melly's mansion and the library. 

"I don't know about that...." he murmured. "Books... books are really... I like books," he said finally. 

Zelgadis grinned. Even with all the trouble they'd caused him, he had to agree on that point.

They were greeted at the door by Melly himself this time. There was no juggling today, but The Mala proved himself to be every bit as bad at language lessons as he was at keeping multiple oranges in the air. Zelgadis couldn't even guess what word he was trying to recite in all its forms as he drifted along toward the library with them. It could certainly be a word he didn't know, but from Xelloss' pursed lips and his exclamation of "Oh my, A for effort, certainly, Melianthus-sama!" Zelgadis guessed that he'd come up with something that wasn't a word at all. Or, conversely, it was a very rude word.

He didn't ask. If it was bad enough, he was sure Xelloss would find an excuse to explain it to him later.   
Shuno had not arrived yet, but someone else was already in the library. Xelloss paused in the doorway and lifted his head, rather like a guard dog scenting the air at the sight of an intruder. To Zelgadis' surprise, Kervan sprawled at his ease in a chair under one of the tall windows. He held a book open in his hand, with a couple others stacked up on the windowsill next to him. 

Kervan looked up when they entered. One arched eyebrow rose, joined by the other when Shuno arrived a moment later and they all filed in to take their accustomed places for their daily study sessions.   
"Ah, Kervan-sama, how lovely to see you again!" Melly gushed airily, long sleeves billowing as he gestured in welcome. 

Kervan snapped the book shut and shoved it aside, stood up and bowed politely to the Mala. He seemed to force his lips to stretch into a smile. 

"Pardon the intrusion, Melianthus-sama," he said. "Your maid let me in. I trust the offer to visit your library on occasion still stands?" 

"Of course of course! All are welcome here, as they say at the Temple!" 

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow at that; aside from the fact that most at the Temple wouldn't set foot in a room full of books - or go out of their way to visit the Mala for any other reason he could think of - he wasn't sure that statement was entirely true. Melly clearly hadn't been that welcoming to Professor Herringull, by the sound of it. Nevertheless, Kervan had indeed "finagled" his way in to Melly's good graces. His smile now, though doubtful at the edges as he eyed the rest of them, was entirely gracious. Someone as heedless as Melly would never notice that it did not extend to his wary eyes.

"I'm sorry I haven't got any of those cakes you liked so well last time you were here," Melly said. "I've been far too busy with our lessons here with Xelloss-sensei to do any baking lately, I'm afraid."

Kervan's smile stiffened briefly before he forced it to spread wider. "That's quite all right, Melianthus-sama, I, ah, just had breakfast." 

He eyed Xelloss and Shuno for a moment. Shuno settled at their usual table with his back toward the windows, ignoring the conversation while he waited for his teacher to get to work. Kervan looked like he wanted to ask what they were doing, but he didn't. 

Zelgadis was just as curious about his particular interest in the library of the Asmalaths, but he could not very well ask what books Kervan had pulled from the shelves without inviting a similar inquiry about the little collection Myona had gathered for him. 

"I hope you don't mind if I just...." Kervan said, gesturing towards his chair.

"No, no, of course, not, go right ahead!" Melly said with a wave of his hand and a flap of a long sleeve. "Enjoy yourself, and don't mind us at all!"

Kervan nodded, his smile as stiff as if it were made of wire. He slowly settled back into his chair, still watching them as he opened a book from his stack.

Zelgadis went to his own table, but he set aside the magical lore he'd been looking forward to, shoving the most interesting books under Beast Tribe tales. He had no reason to think Kervan would be interested in his research, but he'd rather not call attention to it, especially if it reminded Kervan or anyone else of the "lover's quarrel" he'd witnessed a few days ago.

As it turned out, he did not need to worry about that for long. Zelgadis was used to shutting out the drone of Shuno asking questions and Melly tonelessly reciting the phrases Xelloss gave them to learn, and he never minded hearing Xelloss' voice. That was only a pleasant reminder of his real purpose here, even when the mazoku wasn't teasing at his attention with some suggestive twist to the lesson of the day. Kervan, however, was not so complacent. Out of the corner of his eye, Zelgadis saw him frequently look up from his reading with a scowl that grew a little darker each time. 

Before midday, Kervan closed his book with a snap and stood up. After one last glare in the direction of Xelloss-sensei and his murmuring, argumentative students, he grabbed his books, stuffed most of them back on a nearby shelf, and stalked toward the door, with one book still in his hand. 

"Ah, Kervan-san, do come and join us again!" Melly said as he rounded the end of the study table. 

"Thank you, but I doubt it," Kervan said, through clenched teeth. He stopped himself, and after a moment, turned to Melly with his lips stretched across his teeth in what could just pass as a polite smile. He made a small bow to the Mala, ignoring everyone else in the room. 

"If you don't mind, I will send Marcus to fetch and return books for me from now on. He's so ignorable, I'm sure he won't disturb your activities here."

Melly nodded, hummed his approval and waved his hand vaguely, already preoccupied with some passage Xelloss had just given him to read.

Kervan spun around and left, book in hand. 

"My, my," Xelloss murmured. Then Shuno poked his shoulder with a question, and Xelloss shrugged and got back to work. 

Zelgadis couldn't entirely blame Kervan; no doubt their group interrupted the solitude he'd come to expect here. Melly probably hadn't spent this much time in the library in his entire life, and Kervan most likely had always had the place to himself until today.

He turned and glanced back at the section of the shelves where Kervan had left the books he hadn't tried to take with him. His own hidden stash of books caught his eye again, though, and he decided he was not curious enough to be nosey about it after all.

After that, the rest of the day passed much as the previous one did, with Melly clinging to Xelloss on one side and Shuno leaning over him on the other, and Myona wandering among the shelves or curled up somewhere with his head deep in a book. 

The only difference was that today, Zelgadis finally went ahead and dipped into some of the books he'd come here for in the first place, thanks to Myona surreptitiously gathering them for him the day before. He varied his time between making notes about the Seven Beast Tribe tales of Skye and making another set of notes, in a personal code he'd adapted from Rezo, about the magical lore he found in the other books. As it turned out, though, he needn't have worried about Melly or anyone else in the room questioning what he was really studying. Shuno was entirely involved in the language lessons, and Melly was, at this point, simply hanging on to every word Xelloss said in whatever language he spoke. 

By mid afternoon, Myona had casually grabbed The Warp and Weft of Spellweaving off the shelf and deposited it at his table. After watching the other three for a few minutes, Zelgadis threw all caution and concern out the proverbial window, and spent the rest of the afternoon immersed in that intriguing tome. 

It was even more fascinating than he'd hoped. There were definite hints of ideas that could have inspired Rezo as well as Shimer, both of whom had invented significant original spells and magical techniques. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything related to the creation of chimeras, unless it was in the most abstract and theoretical parts, but those were the most difficult to read in the lost language. 

Several times while reading these sections, he was tempted to ask Xelloss to clarify a word or phrase for him, but he couldn't do so here without alerting the others to what he was reading. It seemed like a particularly bad idea to tempt Shuno's interest in these theories; Chaos only knew what poorly-conceived experiment they might inspire! Zelgadis simply added those questions to his notes, took his best guess for the time being, and went on as well as he could with the rest. 

Time passed in the lurching way it always did when he lost himself in a book. Once gain, Dulcinea had to come banging and clomping in to the library to growl that dinner was ready, if the Mala cared to eat. 

Melly, as if nudged half awake from a trance, tapped his finger to his chin and hummed as if this were a the most baffling of questions. Dulcinea groaned, threw up her hands, and slammed back out the room.

She had not said whether enough was prepared for guests today or not. Melly invited them to stay and share dinner anyway, and Zelgadis even considered taking him up on the offer, with the hope of getting back to the library and Warp and Weft for another hour or so afterward. However, Shuno nodded and said "we can keep right on with lessons while we eat!" and Zelgadis thought he saw Xelloss shudder and droop, like a delicate plant left out too long in the hot sun.

"We have a dinner engagement," Zelgadis improvised quickly. 

"Ah yes, so we do!" Xelloss agreed immediately, knowing perfectly well that they didn't. "Perhaps some other time! Although we do have ah, well, things to do at the temple, you know," he added apologetically. 

"Oh, yes, I imagine the Loremasters all want their time with you and their stories," Melly said airily. 

"Yes, they do," Zelgadis affirmed. It was true. That just didn't happen to mean he and Xelloss were actually giving them that time. 

In fact, knowing that the Princess of Fate would most likely be on the mind of every Loremaster and acolyte in the place soon, they cajoled a few day's worth of extra food out of the kitchen staff when they got back to the Temple grounds a short while later. They intended to avoid the dining hall entirely, at least for the first wave of burning curiosity and speculation that was sure to follow. Zelgadis made sure they sent Myona home with a few extra servings as well. Not that he was likely to be badgered by curious Loremasters, but it would keep him out of range of the baleful, sullen glares the other servers threw in his direction whenever they saw he was once again free of kitchen duty. 

"Dinner with the Mala might be the lesser evil for a day or two," Xelloss said unhappily as he and Zelgadis Levitated back to the cottage.

"Next time we come upon a bunch of Shimerian book burners, let's make sure to incinerate the books along with them, please?"

Xelloss grinned. Of course, Zelgadis guessed the mazoku would be only too happy to do so. Unfortunately, there was not much either of them could do about the copies that had now become part of the archives of the Temple. 

Settled in with dinner once again, Zelgadis pulled out the notes he'd made in the library and asked Xelloss his questions about them. They spent the next couple of hours going discussing magical theory, and that led to practical lessons, which led, inevitably, to other, more personal and pleasurable matters entirely. 

Lying limp and half awake in bed (this time) in the aftermath, staring at the darkness, and sensing Xelloss settling nearby like a wild wind settling after a storm, Zelgadis thought that if this were to become the routine of their days for a while, he would not mind at all.

\---

The next day dawned clear and bright again, a little warmer, as if the threat of winter had retreated after giving its first warning. Villagers and Temple residents alike seemed determined to make the most of this reprieve before the next storms hit. It seemed like everyone in Wyndcliff was out, sweeping or scrubbing, putting a garden to rest under leaves or brushing up a coat of paint. They even spotted Myona's mother directing a group of Temple acolytes, who, with various degrees of enthusiasm, shoveled pungent compost onto flowerbeds.

Zelgadis had already received a report of no change in Plover from Myona, so he didn't see any reason to interrupt the High Priestess at her duties, however mundane those duties might be. For all he knew, the spreading of manure onto fallow soil was a serious autumn ritual here. 

At the mansion, they passed Dulcinea whacking at statuary with a frazzled feather duster in one of the anterooms. Melly meandered out from the maze of corridors to join them on the way to the library, and Shuno was waiting for them at the door.

Melly swept past him and took up his place at the lesson table, but Shuno stood in the doorway, blocking the way for the rest of them. He looked Xelloss up and down intently, and then gave a similar once-over to Zelgadis as well. 

"What are you wearing?" he asked. 

Zelgadis could only stare back at him for a second, baffled. Simultaneously, he and Xelloss turned to each other with the same sort of once-over glance, and then did the same to themselves. Blushing with no idea why, Zelgadis wondered if he'd accidentally forgotten to dress completely, or if perhaps they'd put on one anothers' clothes that morning. Nothing seemed out of place on either of them.

"What we always do?" Xelloss answered, helpful but uncertain. 

It appeared to be the correct answer. Shuno nodded once and turned away. 

"Good. So am I." 

This did appear to be true, as far as Zelgadis had ever noticed, he wore the same gray and black tunic and trousers that many students wore at the Temple, as he had ever other time they'd seen him.

Myona had ducked his head and turned away as soon as Shuno had asked the question, and now was already pulling a large bound volume, almost as tall as the length of his arm, from a shelf. Zelgadis couldn't see his face but had no trouble imagining the eye-rolling amusement there. 

Dork! Zelgadis thought as Shuno took his usual place next to Xelloss' chair. After one more glance to assure himself that he wasn't missing any clothing - or that Xelloss hadn't pinned some strange object to him as a prank - Zelgadis shrugged and went back to his studies. 

 

The more Zelgadis read that day, the more quietly intrigued he became. He stopped taking notes, as ideas began to rush together in his mind too quickly for his pen to follow. He didn't want to commit these thoughts to paper yet, anyway. 

In fact, he decided, he did not want to give any hint of this fledgling idea at all, not even to Xelloss - perhaps especially not to Xelloss. Nothing might come of this at all, he reminded himself, and better to avoid the disappointment and the inevitable teasing that would follow when his strange new theory fell apart. 

He forced himself to still the excitement that was starting to build inside him. If he was reading this correctly, if this new idea would work as he thought it would, it would be the perfect magic to use against Shimerians, and against many other enemies as well. It might even be enough to get Xelloss to stop hassling him about defensive shields. Or, if nothing else, he supposed the idea would amuse Xelloss, whether it succeeded or failed miserably.

It was just as well that Xelloss' students were slow learners, because he needed to do a great deal more research before he'd know if this new idea would really work. He'd do what he could to make up for all the boredom and aggravation of trying to teach two fools a language that no one ever used, but they were definitely going to be here for a while.

_________________________________________________________________________

TBC! coming up: More awkward encounters! Plus, Xelloss and Zelgadis discover the surprising story behind the mysteriously abandoned rooms in the mansion of the Asmalaths.


	24. Secrets of the Asmalaths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange and surprising secrets of Melianthus and the Asmalath family are revealed as Zelgadis continues his secretive studies.

That evening, dusk came on fast under approaching storm clouds. A rising wind blew dust and flurries of dead leaves through the village streets and carried the scent of the sea up from the harbor. Xelloss and Zelgadis walked Myona home, and got his promise that he would not go out on the point in the storm before they left him with his sister. 

 

Xelloss sniffed the air appreciatively. The wild scents of autumn were a delight after a stuffy day in the Mala's mansion, and as they passed through the village, the peculiar restless melancholy that he sensed from so many humans at this time of year was refreshing, especially compared to Melly's blandness and Shuno's single-minded obsession with learning. 

 

When they passed through the main gate, the aura of the Temple teased at his senses with its own strange, restless energy. Even more intriguing than that, the emotions from Zelgadis flickered like wind-fed coals, delicious with barely-suppressed anticipation. 

 

"Let's walk back," Zelgadis said, starting up the first long flight of stairs. "I feel stiff and stuffy after sitting all day!" 

 

As much as he looked forward to getting the chimera alone, Xelloss couldn't object, especially when Zelgadis leaped up the stairs, taking the steps two and three at a time. 

 

"Are your studies going well, then?" he asked, half trotting and half levitating to keep up. "It appears you've found quite an abundance of reading material already!"

 

"With Myona's help, yes," Zelgadis said, grinning. "It's going... well enough," he added, with a sly glance aside at Xelloss. "But I'm certainly ready for a review of our more _practical_ lessons."

 

"Ah," Xelloss said, "a teacher's day is never done! Not that I mind - as long as our lessons don't involve grammar and vocabulary!"

 

From the smirk Zelgadis flashed at him, he was reasonably sure they would not. 

 

Halfway up the first flight of stairs, they heard Kervan and Marcus coming down, still out of sight around a bend in the stairway. More precisely, they heard two sets of boots clumping down the steps and Marcus complaining loudly about being out in the darkening evening. 

 

Xelloss could not help noticing that the former Shrinekeeper of Shimer was even more on edge than usual. The early dark and the sense of impending storm seemed to have settled into his nerves.

 

"You didn't need to leave the cottage" Kervan pointed out as they came around the corner and into sight. "It doesn't need both of us to return the book to Kemara. You were the one who didn't want to be left alone at home!"

 

"I know, I know, but we didn't have to bring it back tonight - could've waited until daylight, couldn't we?"

 

"Not with this storm coming," Kervan said, "and you wouldn't have liked staying home alone in a storm any better - so you should thank me for dragging you out here tonight in the dark; at least it's not raining and lightning!"

 

"Oh yes, thanks a lot." 

 

"I did warn you that the ending might affect your delicate nerves," Kervan said.

 

"Can't help it if I....Ahh!" 

 

He jumped backward, startled when he saw Zelgadis and Xelloss coming toward them, then relaxed for a second when he recognized them. Then he jerked backward again. Nervousness spiked up into horror. With another yelp, he dove behind Kervan. 

 

"Ah," Xelloss said, happily amused by this display. "I take it you've finished the story of the Princess of Fate! Didn't you enjoy the ending, Marcus-san? Although I believe Kervan-san was not surprised by the plot twist at the end!"

 

Kervan paused on the landing, eyes narrowing for a moment before he managed a smile and nodded to greet them.

 

"Only partially," he admitted. "I guessed what Hellmaster intended, but I didn't realize She would actually manifest Herself through the Sorcerer. Although the description is somewhat muddled - that is what happened, isn't it?"

 

Zelgadis gave Xelloss a questioning glance. Even though he'd been present for the reality behind the story, he didn't know how Martina had described the scene. For that matter, Xelloss guessed, the chimera's own memory of the event might well be a bit muddled.

 

"That is indeed what happened - basically!" Xelloss answered. 

 

The scholar's eyebrow arched. He regarded Xelloss thoughtfully, a hint of a smile on his lips, as if he knew there was something more to it than that. He didn't ask for details.

 

"Remarkable," he said instead. "I must say, I'm a good deal more impressed with the infamous Lina Inverse than I was before. The rumors don't really do her justice."

 

"Lina Inverse!" Marcus exclaimed. 

 

He was so agitated at the mention of the sorcerer's name that he stepped back out of hiding and aimed a glare at Xelloss and Zelgadis as if he blamed them for the existence of the sorceress. 

 

"She's a madwoman! She could've destroyed us all! Nearly did!" he squawked. "And for what? One lousy swordsman who can't even remember your name? Swordsmen are a dime a dozen, you know. She could've gone out and found a replacement easily enough!"

 

Zelgadis gripped his sword hilt and took a step toward the jabbering little man, a flash of indignant rage in his eyes. Kervan stepped forward at the same moment, one arm slightly lifted in front of his companion. Marcus ducked behind it without a hint of pride, but he still stared across at Zelgadis defiantly.

 

"Don't be so hysterical, idiot," Kervan said through his teeth, his mouth clenched in a grim sort of smile. He didn't look at Marcus, though, and didn't even glance at Zelgadis; he was watching Xelloss warily.

 

"Lina fought to save all of us," Zelgadis growled. "She did the only thing anyone could have done!"

 

"Of course she did," Kervan agreed grimly. "Hellmaster didn't leave her any other options, did he. She had one chance to save her companions and she took it..."

 

Marcus opened his mouth to retort to that, but closed it again with a glare at Kervan before he backed down, emotions seething. 

 

Kervan kept watching Xelloss, who had said nothing since Marcus began to rant, only stood silently with his head bowed. The wind that heralded the oncoming storm flapped his cloak around his legs, rattled branches overhead, and tossed a spray of dead, dry pine needles down on them. The gust carried less force than the emotions swirling between the three humans - fear and outrage from Marcus, indignation from Zelgadis, but the strongest emotion he sensed radiating from Kervan was intense curiosity. 

 

That was intriguing, but he was not inclined to justify either Hellmaster's foolish choices or Lina's desperate ones to anyone, and he was certainly not about to presume to explain the actions of the Golden Lord of all - nor even his own at that moment. 

 

He lifted his head slowly. Zelgadis watched him from the corner of his eye, warily expectant. Raising his eyes to meet Kervan's gaze, Xelloss smiled. 

 

"It is not really for us to argue the wisdom of Lina-san's actions, I think," he said quietly. "Or to question the outcome of her choice, here on the doorstep of the Temple of the Mother of All, hm?"

 

Kervan's smile spread across his face, and for once, even to his eyes. 

 

"No, of course not. The fact of the matter is, we are all still here, aren't we? All except for Hellmaster, that is."

 

"As you say," Xelloss agreed, smiling back. 

 

Zelgadis blinked, puzzled now as he watched the two of them, but he lightened the grip on his sword hilt. Marcus drew back, now watching Kervan almost as warily as Kervan had watched Xelloss a moment ago. 

 

"You still think you know more about it than anyone else, don't you?" he accused Kervan. "As usual! "

 

Surprisingly, Kervan relaxed and turned to Marcus with an indulgent grin

 

"I would be a fool to claim I understand it at all," he said. "But, evidently, that is exactly the kind of fool I am. Come on, Marcus; let's get this book back and pay our respects to the High Priestess, and get home before the storm hits or you'll really have something to whine about!"

 

He slipped past Zelgadis and started down the stairs without waiting for his companion. Firing a brief glare of exasperation at his back, Marcus followed, but he stopped a couple of steps down. He ignored both Xelloss and Kervan now and turned to Zelgadis.

 

"All that business at the end, when the Swordsman finally saved the Sorcerer, all that stuff the Princess wrote about him being swept away by his feelings for her, and about her being protected and saved by the power of love - it didn't really happen like that, did it?" 

 

Zelgadis opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't have an answer. Of course, Xelloss thought, he hadn't read Martina-sans flowery, romantic version of Lina's survival, or revival as the case may actually have been. Zelgadis had no more idea than the rest of them did of how the sorceress and the swordsman. He only knew they'd miraculously reappeared after being sucked into the whirlpool of destruction the Golden Lord left behind when She withdrew from their world. 

 

It hardly seemed likely that the Mother of All, the Being known to both humans and mazoku as the Lord of Nightmares, was secretly a matchmaker, but who could say? 

 

Forefinger raised, Xelloss answered for him. 

 

"One should never underestimate the power of human emotions!" 

 

"Spoken like a true mazoku," Kervan said over his shoulder, his voice dry with sarcasm.

 

Marcus pursed his lips and shook his head, and then gave up and trotted off to catch up with him. 

 

"Wait up, Kervan, it's dark out here! Why didn't you bring a torch!"

 

 

"What was that all about?" Zelgadis wondered after the other two men had passed through the Gate and out of sight. 

 

Xelloss shrugged. "It seems that Kervan-san has taken the teachings of the Temple to heart, in his own way," he said. "Kemara-sama must have guessed he would find the end of the story intriguing when she gave him the book before sharing it with the Loremasters," he added thoughtfully.

 

Zelgadis winced at that reminder. "Now they're all going to be asking the same kinds of questions, I suppose," he grumbled. He pulled his collar up around his chin and started up the next flight of stairs. 

 

Xelloss frowned, not any more pleased at the impending storm of curiosity than the chimera was. It might be better if they did not all presume to understand so much. In fact, with no disrespect to the Mother of All, he would personally enjoy the atmosphere much more if they all reacted like Marcus instead.

 

"My, my," he said, grinning at the memory of the former Shimerian's horrified expression. "Shimeria

was a much more congenial environment for Marcus-san, wasn't it? He was so much calmer there!"

 

"He's a whiny little coward," Zelgadis grumbled as he stomped up the stairs, his cloak snapping like a flag in the wind. He had lost the knife-bright edge of anger that had risen in him defense of Lina's reputation (such as it was), but he was still delightfully disgruntled. 

 

"True! But perhaps he'll enjoy reading Myona's story when you're done writing it down, too," Xelloss suggested. 

 

Zelgadis winced, probably because the pages on which he'd started to write Myona's story had been shuffled to the bottom of a pile of notes on his magical research. 

 

"I _will_ finish that," he insisted to himself. Then he glanced at Xelloss and grinned. "I suppose you'd like to be around when Marcus reads it, though, wouldn't you? Heh. Come to think of it, so would I!"

 

"Of course! Perhaps when it's all done, you and Myona-kun can present a 'recitation' of it for the benefit of all - well, mostly me!"

 

"Greedy mazoku," Zelgadis muttered, but the corner of his lips twitched.

 

"I do try!" Xelloss said cheerfully as they clomped across a covered walkway and started up another stairway. 

 

However, at the moment, his only craving was for the dark emotions, the taste of heated stone skin and the desperate sounds he looked forward to enticing from his studious chimera. 

 

* * *

 

In the following days, Zelgadis found life in Wyndcliff settling into a familiar/comfortable pattern. The days usually began with him waking up to some kind of teasing from Xelloss, which would be interrupted by Myona's soft knock on the door just when Zelgadis was about ready to either Elmekia-Lance the mazoku through the wall or pin him to the mattress. In fact, Xelloss became so predictable in this game that Zelgadis could tell exactly when Myona raised his hand to knock on their door. 

 

Then they would all walk to Melly's mansion, during which there would be a report of the lack of change in Plover's condition and a chat about stories and lore. Storms blew in every few days, each one a little wilder than the last, and in between them the weather would clear, a little colder than before. 

 

On the clear days, it seemed the entire population of the village would spring out of doors to bustle about, cleaning up and battening down for the worst of winter yet to come. For some, Zelgadis noticed, all the cleaning and touching up even progressed to decorating. Sprays of dried corn stocks, chrysanthemum wreaths, pumpkins and gourds adorned doorsteps and windowsills. He wondered if the village was preparing for some kind of harvest feast, just as many of the inland countries did at this time of year before winter's full grip closed on them.

 

The day would be spent with Shuno hanging onto Xelloss for every new word of the ancient language, Melianthus simply hanging onto Xelloss with his face falling increasingly vacant as the lessons left him behind, and Zelgadis losing himself in the timeless, dusty bliss of having a whole magical library to explore at his leisure. 

 

Myona wandered about the library or curled up in a corner to read, as happy as a proverbial clam with his new-found treasures. He sometimes took a book out of the library to perch in a windowsill or curl up in some more comfortable corner of the mansion, or even sat outside in the garden, where he could feel the wind in his hair on a dry day. Xelloss and Zelgadis only made sure he wasn't sneaking off to his favorite place, but Zelgadis had a feeling the library had become a second favorite now that he'd discovered the magic of books.

 

They ended most of these days by dodging curious Loremasters and villagers while Zelgadis tried not to think about the embarrassing nonsense they were all reading and discussing about him. And after he and Xelloss sent Myona home or walked him to his sister's house, their nights were taken up with their own ongoing private magical studies, which were sometimes practical lessons, and often times not very practical at all.

 

 

Every few days, Marcus showed up at the library to return books Kervan had borrowed and pick up a couple more. He was not quite as unnoticeable as Melly - that would be difficult for anyone to achieve - but he sometimes managed to shuffle in and out so quietly that Zelgadis was barely aware of him. 

 

One afternoon, however, Zelgadis' senses tingled when Marcus slipped past his table. It took him a moment to figure out what had caught his attention, and then his eyes fell on one book among the armful Marcus held against his chest. It looked newer than the others, with gold filigree on a shiny red cover, but that was not what raised the hair on the back of Zelgadis' neck. 

 

"Uh, Marcus," he warned, "I don't think you want to...." 

 

It was too late. The former Shrinekeeper only moved faster toward the door, trying to duck out of sight without speaking to anyone. Before he could set foot across the threshold, he stopped, jumped back a pace and yelped as the shiny red book burst into flames. 

 

Marcus dumped the whole armload of books to the floor and leapt around them, flapped his arms and brushed at imagined flames licking his sleeves. A shower of sparks burst from the red book when it hit the floor, then it disappeared in a puff of green smoke. 

 

Marcus froze. All eyes were on him and the singed books at his feet, including Xelloss' purple gaze, wide open and staring. For several heartbeats, nobody spoke.

 

"Oh, dear," Melly said.

 

Hands aflutter, Xelloss shook his head and finally whipped around toward Zelgadis. 

 

"Th- that wasn't me!" he sputtered. 

 

The look on his face was so desperately distressed that Zelgadis broke down and laughed. 

 

"Oh no, dear me no, of course it wasn't, Xelloss-sama!" Melly exclaimed mildly, waving off his concern along with the smoke that wafted across their table. "Marcus-san simply forgot that one can't just take _any_ old book from the library!"

 

"Eh?" Xelloss said. 

 

Marcus finally deflated. He rolled his eyes and wiped his forehead with relief. 

 

"Oh, right! The binding spell. Forgot all about it."

 

Zelgadis glanced back over his shoulder at the stacks where Marcus had chosen the books for Kervan.

 

"I assume it's back on the shelf where it belongs?" he said. It would be rather counterproductive if a book really did go up in flames just to prevent it being stolen from the library. 

 

"Mm, yes," Melly said, with another vague wave of his hand back toward the shelves. "Probably. Clever spell, though, don't you think?" 

 

"Certainly," Zelgadis agreed. "Any common thief would be unlikely to go looking for it again after that!"

 

"Binding spell," Xelloss said wonderingly. He turned and tipped his head, no doubt sensing the magic that clung to so many of the books. 

 

"Hadn't you noticed?" Zelgadis asked, amused. 

 

Marcus, once he had his breath back, bristled at Melly for a moment as if he wanted to say something quite indignant about it all, but he abruptly changed his mind. He scooped up the remaining books, cautiously stepped through the door with them, and then charged off down the corridor without another look back. 

 

"So that's why you never bring interesting homework back to the cottage," Xelloss said as they were walking home later. 

 

"You really didn't notice the protection spells before now?" Zelgadis asked, amused. "You must have plundered nearly as many libraries as I have, Xelloss, not to mention the times you've amused yourself watching me do it. I should think you'd be well familiar with book-binding spells!"

 

"I've never paid much attention to little human spells like that," Xelloss shrugged. He eyed Zelgadis sidelong. "Nor have you!"

 

Zelgadis didn't acknowledge that, even when he saw Myona's mouth twitch. No doubt Martina had written some colorful version of their various misadventures with certain manuscripts. 

 

"Little spells like that wouldn't cling to something as powerful as a Claire Bible manuscript," Zelgadis said. "Not that it would matter to you, since you'd just as soon destroy one before bothering to remove it from of a library, anyway."

 

Xelloss chose not to directly address that comment. 

 

"Let's just say, even if they did, I would not find it difficult to counter such spells. Neither would a heartless sorcerer-swordsman, I should think!"

 

"Perhaps," Zelgadis admitted. "I doubt Melly would notice if I broke a few of those spells, especially since he doesn't even seem to be aware of the rare treasures his library contains. But in this case, I'd rather not take the chance of offending the Mala over one or two books and lose all access to the rest."

 

He patted Xelloss on the shoulder sympathetically.

 

"For now, Xelloss-sensei, I'm afraid we're both stuck with the dubious pleasure of the Mala's company every day. Sorry!" 

 

Xelloss sighed dramatically and waved his hand in the air. "Never mind!" he sighed again, "It's hard, but Xelloss-sensei will willingly continue to suffer Shuno-kun and Melianthus-sama as long as it takes you to find what you need here!"

 

Myona, walking ahead of them, peered back at Zelgadis over his shoulder. 

 

"Have you found anything yet?" he asked. 

 

Zelgadis bit his lip for a second. 

 

"The books you've been bringing me are certainly fascinating!" he assured Myona quickly. "Some of the deepest, most complex magical theory I've ever seen in writing is in those books. I'm almost certain to find a spell I can use against the Followers of Shimer, with enough study." 

 

That was enough to bring a smile and a touch of color to Myona's pale face before he turned away again. 

 

The fact was, he was almost certain he already had found such a spell, or at least the theory of one, but he wasn't sure enough to tell Xelloss about it yet. Xelloss watched him expectantly for a moment as they walked along, but Zelgadis ignored him and said nothing more. He was just going to have to make an extra effort to distract the mazoku this evening to ward off any new curiosity. Even if that was exactly how most of their days ended lately, he looked forward to it just as much as ever.   


 

* * *

 

 

On one of the milder mornings a few days later, they arrived at the mansion to see Melly standing out on the lawn in front of the house. As they came across the garden toward him, he held up a large rattan hoop, the circle of it a couple of hand's-width wider than his slender shoulders. Solemnly, he drew this over his head and down until he held it at waist height, braced against the small of his back. He stood there with eyes closed, unmoving, for a moment.

 

They paused at the edge of the lawn, watching curiously. 

 

"Oh, no," Myona moaned quietly, his tone more of disbelief than of horror. "He's not really going to try _this_ , is he?" 

 

"Try what?" Zelgadis asked. "I thought he couldn't do magic."

 

He glanced around for any other signs of some kind of ritual magic, but there were only a couple more identical hoops lying on the ground nearby and nothing else. Whatever act or spell Melly intended to try, the hoop was its only implement. Since he was totally without any magical capacity whatsoever, it hardly seemed to matter. Still, Zelgadis supposed it would be rude to interrupt. 

 

Myona didn't answer his question, only shook his head, hand to his mouth as if to hold back impending laughter.

 

With a tiny crease above his brow - this qualified for a frown of deep concentration in his case - Melly swung the hoop to one side, and at the same time, jerked his hips in the opposite direction. The hoop rolled around his waist, flung by its own momentum and his movement, but after one wobbly circle, it canted lower on one side and then dropped even lower on the other. Within the next few seconds it spiraled all the way down his body to flop onto the grass at his feet. 

 

Melly continued to jerk his hips around a few seconds longer, his whole body wiggling in a not quite circular motion - a movement which might have been suggestive for anyone more impressively built. The sight of it this skinny young man wiggling like a snake on a string only inspired a choked sound from Myona and the gurgle of a badly suppressed giggle from Xelloss. 

 

Zelgadis couldn't even tell if the hoop rolling down around Melly's legs to the ground was the desired result or not, since Melly showed no sign of either satisfaction or distress. He simply picked it up, placed it once again at the small of his back, and, after another moment of concentration, swung it around and began the process again. 

 

After this odd display had been repeated a couple more times, Shuno appeared beyond Melly in the doorway of the mansion. He squinted briefly at The Mala, gave a little dismissive twitch of his head, then looked past him to Xelloss. Eyebrows raised and hands on his hips, he jerked his head toward the library, impatiently as if he simply could not understand what was keeping Xelloss from their all-important lessons. He didn't seem at all concerned that Melianthus was doing something strange with large hoops between them and the door.

 

"Shouldn't we wait for Melly-sama to join us?" Xelloss wondered. 

 

Shuno crossed his arms, tapped his foot a couple of times, then gave up with a huff and went back into the house. To Zelgadis' surprise, Myona started toward the door as well.

 

"He won't," Myona said. When they didn't follow immediately, he glanced back over his shoulder. "Really, he won't. He'll be busy with this for hours now. Days. Maybe even a week or two..." 

 

He went on without them, making a wide arc across the lawn around The Mala and his hoops. 

 

Since Melly didn't seem to notice, Xelloss and Zelgadis shrugged and followed. They caught up to Myona in the front hall. Shuno had gone on ahead, with a glare over his shoulder at them as if the ancient language would fade from the page if they didn't rush back to the library quickly enough. Myona's mouth twisted into a grin when he saw their puzzled expressions. 

 

"He does that," Myona said as he led the way toward the library. "Melly does, I mean. Haven't you noticed?"

 

"Melianthus-sama plays with hoops?" Xelloss said, tipping his head curiously. "I can't say I have noticed that until now...."

 

Myona snorted and shook his head. Zelgadis remembered the oranges, and that Melly had much the same mindless look of concentration on his face that morning when he'd walked in with them. 

 

"He juggles things?" he guessed, but that didn't seem quite the right answer either.

 

Myona shook his head and pointed toward a room they were passing by just then. Zelgadis glanced through the open door; it happened to be the room of abandoned musical instruments. All of them apparently dropped and never looked at again, just as the juggled oranges fell and were left where they landed on the floor. 

 

"Like that," Myona said. "And the flowers. You know. Different things. He tries them and then...." he shrugged again. "He does them for a while, or tries to, and then just quits." 

 

Zelgadis thought of the flowers that Melly so carefully and ineptly arranged the day they first visited, then left to wither until Dulcinia replaced them. 

 

"You mean, like, hobbies? Past-times?" he asked. "Are you saying Melly just takes up some new hobby every so often? Flower arranging one day, juggling the next?"

 

"Then hoop dancing the day after that." Myona nodded, then rolled his eyes. "Can't believe he'd try that one, though. It's sacred to the Eagle Folk, you know, sort of a storytelling ritual with them. They'd gouge his eyes out if they saw him making a joke of it like that."

 

Zelgadis did know, now that he thought of it, or at least he'd heard of such a ritual among some of the beast tribes of the mountains, but he'd never seen it done. He still hadn't seen it done properly, that was certain.

 

"He didn't appear to be joking," Xelloss said, clearly still puzzled by all of this. "Well, even I can't tell what Melianthus-sama is feeling, so perhaps he was?"

 

"Oh no, he's totally serious," Myona replied. "It's just that he's terrible at it. Like he is at everything."

 

He waved his hand in the direction of the maze of corridors Melly had led them through during their first visit. Zelgadis remembered wondering what sudden distraction or tragedy had caused past members of the Asmalath family to drop what they were doing and never go back, like a house where all the clocks are stopped when the master or mistress dies.

 

There was no dramatic story behind it after all. It was just... Melly. 

 

"He really did paint all those pictures? And the fencing, and ...?" Zelgadis said, thinking back down the corridors. 

 

"All of those things?" Xelloss mused. "Surely not even the sewing projects! Those adorable dresses?"

 

They passed the art studio. Zelgadis glanced in at the half-finished paintings with new eyes. It was only too easy to imagine him doing this and all the other things just as badly, every bit as clumsy and vague in his efforts as he was with the lost language or juggling oranges.

 

That also reminded him of Melly's threat - he could only call it that - to take up painting again and make him pose for it. 

 

"Does he go back to things he's tried before?" he asked. 

 

Myona thought about it a minute. 

 

"I guess so, sometimes. Or, well, sort of; I mean, if he does, he usually takes it up like it's a whole new thing he's never done before, or he says he's going to do it differently this time."

 

"So if he does take up painting again, it might be cubism this time," Xelloss said, grinning. 

 

Zelgadis snorted. "Maybe if he tries that, he'll get pictures that actually look like real things!"

 

Unfortunately, this inspired a mental image of Melly painting a portrait of him that came out looking like he was made of blocks of stone. He sighed. He really couldn't win with this.

 

"How many different things has he tried?" he wondered aloud. It was a large house, and they'd still only seen a small part of it. It was a little disturbing to think about what remnants of past hobbies might be lurking in all the other rooms.

 

Myona shook his head, grinning. "I don't think anyone knows. He's such a ..."

 

"Dork," Zelgadis finished quietly as they reached the library. "I guess he'll just have to catch up if he misses this morning's lesson - if he can."

 

Myona shook his head. "Whenever he starts a new thing, he usually quits the one he was doing before."

 

"Ah! Does that mean he won't be joining us for lessons any longer?" Xelloss said brightly. 

 

"You've still got Shuno," Zelgadis reminded him with a wicked grin. 

 

Sure enough, Xelloss' remaining student was already in his seat at the table, tapping his pen impatiently and glaring at the door as they entered. 

 

"Ah yes," Xelloss said. "So I do! And you," he said, tipping his head to Zelgadis and Myona with a broad smile and his eyes hidden behind his bangs, "have your books."

 

"Ah yes," Zelgadis said, taking a deep breath of the familiar, enticing leather-and-ink scent of pure library air. He grinned as he settled back at his usual place. 

 

Myona caught his eye with a twitch of his brow as he went by. He glanced meaningfully at the pile of books already waiting on Zelgadis' table, then wandered away into the stacks, chewing on his lip, his gaze slowly climbing up toward the higher levels. 

 

Zelgadis had begun to think he should bring Myona along on any future travels; it might save him a great deal of time and frustration in the plunder - investigation, rather - of any new sources of magical information he came across. He wasn't sure if Myona would like that or not, and no doubt Kemara and Delora would need to give their permission. 

 

They weren't going anywhere right away, anyway. There was plenty yet to plunder close at hand. 

 

"Let's get back to work then, shall we?" he said. 

 

He might as well have been talking to himself. Everyone else was already occupied. With a fond smile for all of them - even Melly, at that moment - Zelgadis opened _The Warp and Weft of Spellweaving_ and settled in for another fine day of study. 

 

________________________________________________

 

_Coming up: Zelgadis and Xelloss take a break and get some exercise, and Zelgadis learns that a there's a terrible price to pay for staying in Wyndcliff at harvest time._


	25. The Gulch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xelloss and Zelgadis take a break from studying for a little exercise, and then Zel finds out about a horrifying (to him) tradition at the Temple of the Golden Lord.

If anything, Xelloss seemed to be even more worn out at the end of a study session with Shuno alone. Melly had at least provided some amusing interruptions to Shuno's relentless quest for (probably useless) knowledge. When Shuno announced that there was another Recitation coming up tomorrow that he simply must attend, Xelloss was obviously relieved.

 

"The Naming of Names," Shuno said. "It's the most significant segment after The Making of Worlds. Completely underrated by most Loremasters. They'll be on that for a week or two. Of course I've attended this section many times before, but I missed a few days last time. I need the refresher."

 

"Refreshing is not the word I'd use for it," Myona said with a grimace.

 

"You get a few days off, _sensei_ ," Zelgadis said later as they left the Mala's garden and headed back toward the village. "Unless you think you should attend this Recitation with Shuno?"

 

Xelloss cringed. "To watch a room full of students sleep through the day? Boredom is not one of the negative emotions we mazoku enjoy, you know! Anyway, I think I deserve some time off. Teaching is much harder work than I imagined! But does that mean I only get to spend the day watching you and Myona-kun bury yourselves in books? That might be more pleasant than listening to Shuno-kun recite the dictionary, but still, not a very exciting day for me!"

 

Zelgadis stretched, letting his shoulders pop and creak as stiff muscles flexed under his stone skin.

 

"I could probably use a break, too," he admitted.

 

He looked out across the bay to the open sea. Streaks of clouds, cold gray in the last light of the recently set sun, barred the far edge of the sky, but above the mountains, the velvet blue sky held a few early stars. It looked like the weather would stay clear for another day.

 

"I think it's time for a little physical activity! We haven't had a chance for sparring practice since that morning at the cottages."

 

He also hoped for a chance to do some more practical research in support of his new theory, without Xelloss noticing, but he said nothing of that. He turned to Myona.

 

"Myona, you know the territory around the village, right? And you know what we're trying to do here, the reason for our practice session the other day."

 

Myona's eyebrows twitched and one corner of his mouth turned up.

 

"Practice session?" Xelloss said mildly. "Hm, Kemara-sama had another term for it, if I remember correctly!"  
  


Zelgadis blushed; he had not forgotten that their fight had been labeled a "lover's quarrel." All the more reason to ask for their guide's advice.

 

"Isn't there a place we could use for our practice sessions, some place nearby but away from the aura field of the Temple, and - especially - out of sight of the village?"

 

Xelloss made a sound of approval and interest. Myona bit his lip lightly as he thought about it.

 

"There might be..." he said, trailing off as he gazed up at the steep hills behind the village. "You'll run into Beast people settlements if you get up into the hills, but maybe..."

 

Zelgadis followed his gaze as it scanned the coastline. All of the land they could see was rugged, thick with tangled evergreen forest, or steep and narrow, as far as he could see. The terraced levels of the village and the temple, the Mala's garden, and the hooked point were the only level, open land in sight.

 

"Well, think about it, and let us know if you come up with a good location. We'll just have to make do for now." He caught Xelloss' eye with a sidelong glance. "I have a couple of attack moves I haven't tried yet," he said, grinning.

 

Xelloss beamed back at him, but he sighed dramatically.

 

"Zel-san, you know what I keep telling you! You need more practice on your defense! Your attacks are quite sufficient already, especially considering the enemies you intend to use them on - other than me!"

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 

The obvious place for sparring practice that had enough open space a safe distance from the Temple, with no residences or gardens to worry about, was the widest expanse of the hooked point between the Bridge and the ruins. Myona pointed this out hesitantly the next morning, and then chewed on his lower lip, looking as if he regretted mentioning it. Zelgadis was almost eager enough for some activity to consider it, but one glance at the windswept landmark, so open and visible from all around the village, was enough to make him shake his head. 

 

"Some place a _little_ less exposed," he declared. "There must be another option!"

 

Myona hummed absently as he scanned the landscape all around the cove . 

 

"South of the Bridge, there's a small tidal beach. It's rocky and there's a slope to it, but it's not too steep. Pretty windy sometimes..." he trailed off, eyeing each of them doubtfully, as if he thought they might get blown about like kites on the seaside breeze. 

 

Zelgadis chuckled. "I don't think a little wind or some rocks will get in our way!"

 

"Certainly not!" Xelloss agreed. "A few obstacles will just make our little contest more interesting!"

 

They followed Myona to the south end of the village, past the Bridge and the spot below it where Plover had been found. The main road wound up into the hills behind the village, disappearing into groves of twisted cedars, but a smaller track seemed to have dug its own way through sea grass and rough sand dunes to the south. This little path led them to a narrow cove beyond the hooked point. 

 

The wind did find them as soon as they dropped below the height of the Bridge; it swirled up to the narrow bowl of the little cove, tore at the whispering grasses on the steep southern slope of the hooked point, and managed to throw what little sand there was among the rocks right into their eyes and mouths. The uneven ground was covered in sea-polished stones. They rattled and clattered when the waves washed in over them, reminding Zelgadis of the sound of Shimer's Relics. 

 

They rolling beach was difficult to walk upon, so running and dodging would be treacherous. Standing ribs of rock jutted up into the semicircle of the beach here and there, miniatures of the taller spikes that dotted the shallows along this section of the coast - obstacles that would impede Ray-Wing flight over the stoney beach, but which might also provide helpful cover in a magical firestorm. 

 

"It's perfect!" Zelgadis said, grinning down at Myona. 

 

Xelloss was already hovering off the ground, and glanced sidelong at them with his eyes slowly opening to reveal those strangely shaped purple irises.

 

"Shall we begin, then?" he asked politely. 

 

In answer, Zelgadis began to chant his first spell, quietly forming the words at the back of his throat, waiting for Xelloss to notice the energy building in his hands. 

 

"Stay back, Myona-kun!" Xelloss said cheerfully. 

 

He darted away backward through the air. A gust of wind hit Zelgadis from the mazoku's backlash just as he released his own wind attack.

 

Buffeted by the edge of the combined wind wall, Myona stumbled, yelped, and scrambled away to a somewhat safer distance. When Zelgadis glanced back at him to be sure that he was out of range, he saw the boy had anchored himself to a low trailing bush, half hidden in the gulley made by the path. Dark eyes large and gleaming, he looked as dreamy and excited as he did when he gazed longingly at the hooked cliff in a storm. 

 

It might not be exactly what Kemara intended as far as keeping her brother from wandering around among the ruins, Zelgadis thought, but perhaps she would forgive them for providing him with this bit of entertainment. It seemed fitting enough as payment for his services. 

 

There was no warm up. Zelgadis was soon caught up in the rush of battle, all his senses trained on Xelloss and all his thought engaged in the calculation of spells, attacks and dodges. For a while they went at it earnestly enough, in their usual way, both teasing the other as much as attacking. Zelgadis tried his best to stay on the offensive. 

 

"Mind your own shields, mazoku!" he growled as he dove in close, magically powered sword in one hand and Elmekia Whip crackling from the other. 

 

Grinning, Xelloss knocked the sword arm aside with his staff, easily avoiding the glowing blade, and slapped a shield wall up in front of the energy whip that sent it sizzling back toward Zelgadis' face. He let himself stumble backwards on the stones while he quickly chanted Ray Wing, and zoomed up out of reach of the mazoku's follow up attack.

 

It felt great to be moving again after so much time spent hunched over his books. Even the more practical astral magic that they practiced alone was more of a mental workout than anything physical, and it felt great to stretch stiff muscle and stone skin, and hear his blade sing through the air. 

 

Of course, that's all his blade ever managed to contact, except for knocking a few chips off old slate ribs. Xelloss danced and dodged around him like a thistle seed on the chaotic wind, only pausing in front of him long enough to dupe Zelgadis into an attack before slipping around to tap him from behind. He hardly even bothered to attack. Zelgadis wondered if Xelloss was trying to wear him down and distract him before springing some nasty spell on him, or just showing off for Myona. 

 

If it was a matter of distraction, Zelgadis could turn those tables easily enough. He whipped off his tangling cloak and began to pull off his shirt as well. Not that he'd broken a sweat - they'd barely got started yet, and with stone skin, it took a lot more than this small exertion - but he knew from experience that an unexpected glimpse of bare chimera skin could be at least a momentary distraction to Xelloss. 

 

Unfortunately, Xelloss could play the same game. He grinned and simply vanished his own mantle, and somehow always seemed to be downwind of Zelgadis so his shirt and trousers were blown tight against his body, revealing every curve and plane that the loose clothing usually concealed. Zelgadis knew exactly what he was doing, but that didn't mean it didn't work. 

 

 _Damn seductive mazoku!_ he thought, gritting his teeth as he rapidly chanted another attack. Xelloss dodged neatly out of the line his spell. He paused, hovering a few feet away, then frowned and turned his head as if suddenly listening for something. 

 

Zelgadis grinned, ready to call his bluff, but then noticed it as well, a sound that was something more than the wind muttering among the rocks or the chattering stones. A murmur of voices sent a shiver up his spine. Not that there was anything sinister about them, not even the empty cheer of the Shimerians. 

 

He and Xelloss looked around and upward to find a startling number of eyes above them, peering through the wind-bent shrubbery. At least a dozen people and beast folk all stared down from the hill above the beach. Zelgadis now saw that there was a path that had been hidden from view by scrubby evergreens, apparently another branch off the main track that wound up into the mountains; this one followed the curve of the coast before winding back into a valley further south. 

 

A surprisingly well-used path, at that, or at least it was on this particular morning, so they had again attracted an audience for their mock battle. It was no comfort to him at all that this group seemed more appreciative than alarmed. He felt as if they were suddenly on display in an amphitheater, like some barbaric gladiator contest. 

 

"Oh. Ooops." he heard Myona say softly. Clinging to his hiding place, the boy peeked out and craned his neck to look up at their audience. His cheeks were very pink. 

 

Zelgadis swore, and Xelloss made a disappointed sound. 

 

"I don't suppose you'd care to continue in spite of.... no, I thought not," Xelloss finished quickly when Zelgadis glowered at him. 

 

Zelgadis grabbed at his cloak to fling it back around himself. The wind tried to grab it back, tangled it around his legs so that he stumbled on it, adding to the heat in his face. He did his best to ignore the murmurs of disappointment from above, along with a few shouts of encouragement, as if the watchers were cheering on their favorite team in Brass Racquets. He thought he even heard a wager being called. 

 

There was no way out of the little cove but back up the path, right past their audience. He guessed that Levitating out would only gain them even more attention. With Myona ducking along in front of him, they scrambled back up the rutted path toward the end of the Bridge.

 

"Nothing to see here, nothing at all!" Xelloss crowed cheekily with a flap of his hand.

 

Of course, that didn't help at all. A trio of boys about Myona's age nudged each other and grinned as they passed, eyes lit up with excitement. One of them shook his head.

 

"Lucky!" he said with a quick thumbs up. 

 

Zelgadis realized that the boy was gazing at Myona, apparently envious of his front row seat at their unintended exhibition. Plowing along with his head down, Myona didn't notice. 

 

Zelgadis glanced back as they passed the end of the Bridge, praying to any nearby gods that they wouldn't be followed. The local gods did not choose to listen, or perhaps it was the bad luck of The Black Stones visiting him. He looked right into the face of Spearos, marching up the path behind them and scowling even more darkly than his usual threatening expression. The archivist's bat-winged assistant skipped and fluttered along beside him, flapping her hands and chattering at her boss.  


"Now, now, Spearos-sama, I'm sure it wasn't meant - "

 

Zelgadis didn't stop to hear what Spearos-sama thought it was meant to be. Gravelly mutterings of "irresponsible" and "violent" and "ill-mannered" followed them almost into the village.

 

Myona suddenly slipped off the main road and ducked behind a row of fishing shacks. Zelgadis followed gratefully, and a glare at Xelloss made sure the mazoku didn't alert anyone else to their sudden detour.

 

"Oh dear," Xelloss said when they were safely out of sight, for the moment. The attempt to sound distressed was overwhelmed by stifled giggles. "I'm afraid Spearos-sensei does not have a very good impression of us! On the other hand, if I'm not mistaken, a number of other villagers now have a _very_ positive impression of you, Zel-san!"

 

Zelgadis seriously considered finishing their battle practice right there behind the village with a well-placed, close-range Fireball. If it wasn't for the wealth of lore he'd already tapped into here, right at this moment he felt like it would be worth facing the storms at sea or the treacherous mountain roads just to get out of this village. 

 

 

Myona led them on a steep and winding path behind gardens and sheds that smelled of fish and alderwood smoke, up the steep hill at the south end of the village and through a short tunnel between thick fir trees. Suddenly he felt the aura of the Temple close in around him again. 

 

Zelgadis groaned with relief. No doubt this was another path known to few besides their guide. They had somehow come around behind and above Kemara's house, higher up on the Temple's hillside than the Dawn Pavilion. Now they only had to get across the whole Temple grounds to their cottage at the northern corner without meeting any more curious residents.

 

 

 

"Maybe we _should_ practice out there," Xelloss suggested, staring across at the hooked point. "Even if we did gather an audience, they'd stay at a safe distance, hm?"

 

Zelgadis ignored him. 

 

"We'll keep looking," he growled. "And the sooner we find it, the better," he added through clenched teeth. He suddenly understood why Lina felt the need to blast bandit gangs to cinders every once in a while.

 

Myona muttered to himself as they wound their way toward the cottages. 

 

"Bluebell Meadows would work, but not until the Yak Folk migrate down for the winter.... Phoenix Shelf?" 

 

He craned his neck to look up the steep, thickly wooded hills behind the Temple. Zelgadis followed his gaze and noticed a gash of bare rock jutting out from the forest, quite high up, but still close enough to see a bird circling out and back to it from here. If they fought up there, they'd have a crowd watching them from below through spyglasses. 

 

Myona shook his head. "That won't work. Must be something else... there's the Gulch, but that's narrow, and it's a pain to get to. Oh, but maybe not so much if you can Levitate, I guess.... "

 

Zelgadis caught up with the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. Myona looked up at him, still red faced and looking so miserable that Zelgadis almost forgot his own embarrassment. 

 

"It's fine, Myona. Don't worry about it. Thanks for getting us out of the village unnoticed." He nodded, patting the boy's shoulder. "You're still the best guide we could ever hope for! We'll manage to get our practice in somehow."

 

In the meantime, he would just have to continue his personal research in other ways. Fortunately, Xelloss was more easily distracted in the bedroom than in battle practice. If he even noticed Zelgadis intensifying their astral magic lessons, he certainly didn't complain.

 

**____________________________________________________**

 

As they found out a few days later, The Gulch suited their purposes quite well after all. 

 

With Myona's guidance, they discovered that what looked like uninhabitable forest clinging to the steep mountains above the village was actually dotted with Beast Tribe settlements, most of them connected by a network of treacherous paths, though some were only accessible by flight. 

 

Myona knew all of the paths, and also knew of a number of hidden spots off any trail: an abandoned stone quarry with a pool of green water as still as a tarnished mirror in its depths, a peaceful little clearing at the foot of a waterfall, the remains of an ancient village that had been half buried in a rock slide long ago. 

 

"I used to come up here a lot," he mused as he led them through a thick tangle of ancient trees, across icy mountain streams and waterfalls. He was as nimble and sure-footed as a mountain goat, as much in his element here as he was out on the windswept rock of the point. The path was as rugged as any Zelgadis had climbed in his travels, and he stumbled and swore, and occasionally Levitated over a spot that Myona scrambled across on toes and fingers, clinging to nearly smooth rock like a lizard. 

 

Zelgadis declared to their pleased guide that it was worth all the trouble when they reached the Gulch. This turned out to be a narrow gouge in the steep hills behind the village. As the crow files, it was only a few miles away almost directly above the temple, but it was difficult to get to on foot and even more difficult to get into once you got there. It was invisible nearly until you fell into it, and even Myona had a hard time navigating down the trackless, brambled, nearly vertical slope to the small stream and clearing at the bottom. Halfway down, the boy almost gave in to their offers to Levitate him the rest of the way. 

 

It would be even harder to find, Zelgadis guessed, for anyone who didn't already know it was there. The most curious watchers would hardly be likely to follow them there. 

 

The space of almost level ground was long but narrow, barely as wide as the green by the cottages but longer, and filled with a thick nest of brush and rocks and vines. After a brief, experimental practice session, they had already cleared most of this down to ash and sand. 

 

They agreed to let Myona watch their battle practice, but they insisted he stay at a safe distance up the side of the Gulch and out of the way.

 

"Can you put a shield around him or something?" Zelgadis asked Xelloss quietly as he took stock of the far-flung debris from their first round. 

 

"I could," Xelloss said with a shrug, "It would only be a minor distraction to keep it in place while we're fighting, I'm sure it wouldn't give you enough of an advantage to beat me!" he added with a grin. 

 

"I could...do that. Maybe," Myona spoke up from where he peered out between a rock and a stump. 

 

They turned and stared at him. 

 

"You can cast spells?" Zelgadis said.

 

He'd had no hint of it, but on second thought he supposed that wasn't surprising. No one used much magic around the Temple or even in the village, from what he'd seen, and Myona of all people seemed unlikely to draw that kind of attention to himself, even if it could be useful. 

 

He looked to Xelloss, wondering if the mazoku had sensed magical capacity in the boy. Xelloss tipped his head as if considering that very question himself. 

 

"That would be best, if you can cast such a spell, Myona-kun! A basic shield would be sufficient; we can't really use our full power in such a small place, anyway!"

 

"I can do a few little spells, actually, nothing much, but some," Myona said. He ducked his head and briefly caught his lower lip in his teeth. "Not Levitation, though," he added quickly under his breath.

 

He closed his eyes and went silent for a few seconds. His eyebrows twitched as he gathered his concentration and then chanted a basic spell for protection. 

 

It was not a terribly strong shield, but Zelgadis was satisfied. It might not do much against a genuine magical attack, but it should ward of any debris or ricocheting energy they might kick up during their practice. It was far more than he could have managed before he'd been changed. 

 

Assured that Myona was reasonably safe, they got back to the business of trying to knock each other out. They went at that for an hour or so, with a great deal more energy than their first playful round of ground-clearing. Their mutual determination to _not_ be the one who was flat on his back in the dirt at the end was spurred on by the added indignity of having a witness to the defeat. 

 

It was the best workout Zelgadis had had in ages, even if he was the one who ended up half buried under a pile of smoldering shrubbery, with Xelloss standing over him, aglow with dark energy, violet eyes gleaming down at him. 

 

"Damn sneaky mazoku," he grumbled a few minutes later, when mouth and brain were able to form words again.

 

He didn't really mind the outcome all that much, though. Myona gazed with wide, gleaming eyes at both of them, clearly impressed no matter which one had won or lost. Besides that, Xelloss more than made it up to him later. 

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

After this discovery, their days began to alternate between study at the Mala's library and battle practice in the woods whenever they could get free of Shuno for a day. In between these activities, they dodged curious Loremasters and Princess fans, and did their best to avoid getting caught up in Melly's latest obsession. 

 

The only things that varied the routine of the days, besides the weather and Melly's equally frequent changes of interest in some new activity, was the ever increasing hubbub of cleaning and decorating around the village, and even more of the same kind of activity within the Temple grounds. Even the ongoing talk and speculation about the final chapter of the Princess of Fate gave way to all this work, until Zelgadis and Xelloss realized there must be more to it than simple fall cleaning.

 

"It must be this Hallow night or something," Zelgadis said, as they watched a flock of students loading carts with ripe pumpkins. The sheds near the dining hall were filling up with fruits of the harvest, potatoes and cabbages and onions piled up like small mountains and spilling out of their doors. All through the small community, he and Xelloss could not help noticing the surge of energy and anticipation. It became clear the entire village as well as the Temple would be involved in whatever was planned.

 

In that case, Zelgadis thought, he hoped they could just stay in their cottage for the day, or hide out in the library or out at the Gulch! He was fairly certain he could convince Xelloss to stay out of it, in spite of any mischief the mazoku might think he could get up to on such an occasion. In the interest of his studies, he was getting particularly good at "distracting" Xelloss. 

 

In fact, he was looking forward to doing just that when they get back to the cottage one evening after a long day of study at The Mala's library. He would have spared no more than a nod and a polite word to their neighbors who were just leaving, presumably on their way to the dining hall that he and Xelloss had just avoided visiting.

 

Marcus veered aside and marched up to them just before they reached the door. Kervan paused at the turn of the path, hands on hips, growling Marcus' name in a low voice that sounded to Zelgadis like a warning.

 

Marcus was too excited be deterred. Zelgadis braced himself for another barrage of complaints about Lina's destructive tendencies or some other unwelcome question about their past adventures.

 

Marcus' wide, anxious eyes darted between from Zelgadis to Xelloss and back again.

 

"What are you wearing?" he asked.

 

Zelgadis' mouth fell open. He'd expected Marcus to be as bothersome as the Loremasters he was trying so hard to avoid, not to suddenly become as bizarre as Shuno. Both of them had always been dense and annoying, but it quite different ways. Xelloss looked every bit as baffled as he was.

 

"He means for the Festival," Kervan murmured.

 

Zelgadis glanced past Marcus at the other man. His mouth was twitching and even his usually solemn eyes looked amused.

 

Zelgadis was no more enlightened by the remark. Clearly, there was a hint here that they were supposed to get, but he had no idea why their clothing had anything to do with the preparations going on around them. Were they expected to don Temple robes and take part in some kind of ritual cleansing ceremony, he wondered? Kemara had never mentioned such a thing.

 

"Of course for the Festival!" Marcus burst out. "It's a big deal here, as you'd expect!"

 

At their continued blank looks, Kervan's smile widened.

 

"Or you might not," he continued for Marcus, "since it's celebrated in so many different ways in other countries."

 

"Everyone celebrates Hallow Night!" Marcus insisted. "Don't they? Well, not in Shimeria of course, they're too busy being happy to celebrate anything. But I thought everyone else everywhere celebrates it. Maybe celebrate isn't always the right word. But of course they do here! Celebrate it, that is."

 

Through the nervous rush of Marcus' words, Zelgadis remembered more about the autumn festivals he'd seen celebrated at this time of year in his travels, the many different but similar traditions in various countries he happened to pass through at the time. Elaborate balls and feasts were held in the cities, with rustic harvest meals and various superstitions attached to them in the smaller towns and villages. There was usually something about dressing up, now that he thought about it, costume balls being the norm rather than the exception, and not only among the higher classes.

 

"Hallow Night?" Xelloss said thoughtfully. "It's that time when people dress up in strange costumes to try to, what is it - fool the demons or something, hm?"

 

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow at Xelloss. The mazoku looked alarmingly amused. That reminded him of another tradition attached to this autumn festival, the only reason a mazoku would find a human holiday interesting, no doubt, and another reason he'd never had much to do with it: it was also known as a time humans particularly liked to play pranks on each other.

 

"Some locations engage in that tradition as part of Hallow Night, yes," Kervan said, strolling up the walk to join them, his hands clasped behind his back now. "But here in Mystport it's somewhat different. We call it The Festival of All Worlds. For the Temple, it's the most important day of the year, a sacred day when we honor The Golden Lord, the Mother of All Worlds...." he paused, and then went on almost regretfully, "by dressing up as someone or something completely different fromwhat we are."

 

"Oh?" Xelloss leaned forward, seriously interested now.

 

"They don't have many rules here, they say," Marcus broke in, "They say they don't stand on ceremony much, they say! But there's one rule on Hallow Night - don't come as you are!"

 

He looked panic stricken at the prospect. Considering how completely he'd converted himself from a devoted Shrinekeeper of Shimer to a nervous little hanger-on at the Temple of the Golden Lord, Zelgadis didn't see why he should be so worried about it. Almost anything would be an improvement, he thought, unless Marcus really was going to start going about as Shuno.

 

He couldn't entirely blame the man for being agitated, though. He didn't like the sound of this any better than Marcus did, and the expectation in Xelloss' face only made it all the more worrisome.

 

"What a fascinating way to honor the Mother of All," Xelloss said, tipping his head to the side. "I suppose it makes sense, to those who know more of Her true nature."

 

Kervan nodded. "Some scholars here claim it's the origin of the holiday. In many parts of the world, it's said to be day of the year when the barriers between the worlds are thinnest. Some say it's a time when demons can come through from the Astral side more easily, and even lesser demons can appear without possessing a host. But of course, they prefer to possess humans, or play even worse pranks on them whenever they can. So the tradition in most places is for people to dress up like demons and monsters, so that, supposedly, the real demons will be fooled and will leave them alone. Of course, in more 'civilized' society, it's just become an excuse to hold masked balls and such. People are likely to dress as princesses and kings rather than monsters."

 

Xelloss nodded, ah'd and hummed as if he'd never heard all of this fascinating information before. Zelgadis couldn't tell if he was putting them on or not.

 

"However, here in Wyndcliff," Kervan went on, "due to the teachings of the Temple, it's become a day when we ponder upon all the different worlds that ever rose out of the Sea of Chaos, and all that ever could be created out of Her infinite imagination. All the different things we could be in those other worlds, or could have been."

 

"The Festival of All Worlds," Xelloss mused. "I see!"

 

"Of course," Zelgadis said, nodding, "People here don't worry about trying to keep the demons away, since all beings are welcome here anyway. Instead, it's more of a celebration of...well, of the Making of Worlds, in a sense?"

 

"That's right!" Marcus nodded. "People dress as all kinds of things. Beast people dress as humans, humans dress as demons, monsters dress up as dragons... well... that doesn't happen very often."

 

"I should hope not!" Xelloss recoiled, aghast at the thought.

 

"I get the idea," Zelgadis said uneasily.

 

He had a fleeting thought of Xelloss dressing up like a Dragon Lord, and couldn't decide if that would be hilarious or terrifying. That thought led to the next question he was almost afraid to ask.

 

"Does everyone _have_ to dress up? That's not really a Temple rule, is it?"

 

"Everyone does! That's what I've heard," Marcus broke in. "I have no idea what to wear! I mean, think about it - the possibilities are endless! I could be a troll or a berserker or a, well, I could be a Shimerian Shrinekeeper, since I'm not one of those anymore, but who would want to be! Or I could be dress as a catperson, or maybe a..."

 

"You could dress as a Loremaster," Kervan broke in, "or in your case, you could even dress as a scribe! Since you do so as little scribery as possible, I'm sure it would qualify," Kervan said flatly.

 

Marcus sputtered out and flung him a glare, but at least the insult had the effect of stopping his rant in its tracks. Kervan turned back to Xelloss and Zelgadis.

 

"I don't know if it's an official, codified rule," Kervan said, "but I can tell you that, in the years I've been here, only Shuno has ever chosen not to pick a costume. However, both years he tried that, he still ended up wearing one... _involuntarily_." He grinned in a most unsettling way. "Trust me, it's better to pick out your own."

 

"Peacock!" Marcus exclaimed. "That's what you said it was one year, wasn't it? Tarred and feathered!"

 

His stared urgently at Xelloss and Zelgadis as if urging them to appreciate the horror of it.

 

"It was only white paste and peacock feathers," Kervan clarified, "...and a tail," he added with a malicious, gesturing in a high arc to indicate a great plume of a tail.

 

"Aha!" Xelloss said, raising a forefinger as if it had suddenly all come clear to him at last. "So it is indeed like the 'trick or treat' custom practiced in many human communities. Failure to participate is rewarded with mischief!"

 

"It's not funny!" Marcus protested desperately.

 

Even Kervan was smiling, although it was a grim smile. Of course, Xelloss was as gleeful as a human child looking forward to a birthday party.

 

With a sinking feeling and a rush of quite unexpected sympathy for Shuno and Marcus, Zelgadis began to realize he was doomed. 

 

___________________________________________________

 

_tbc! Coming up: Melly's hobbies have unexpected effects on the mansion's visitors!_


End file.
